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AMERICAN  Foundation 

ForTHEBLIND  inc. 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT No.  27. 


rORTY-SEYENTH  ANNUAL  REPORT 


THE     TRUSTEES 


PERKINS  INSTITUTION 


Slassatljusctts  Sr^nnl  iax  lljc  §Imtr, 


FOR  THE  YEAR  ENDING 


September   30,    1878. 


BOSTON: 

ISttnti,  a&crg,  $c  Co.,  printers  to  tfje  C0mmon&jcaltj[, 

117  Franklin  Street. 
1879. 


(Jlommonrocaltl)  of  illaosacljusetts. 


Perkhts  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
Boston,  Oct.  14,  1878. 

To  the  Hon.  Hexkt  B.  Peirce,  Secretary  of  State. 

Deab  Sm,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  for  the 
use  of  the  legislature,  a  copy  of  the  Forty-Seventh  Annual 
Report  of  the  Trustees  of  this  Institution  to  the  Corporation 
thereof,  together  with  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 
Respectfully, 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretary/. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 

1878-79. 


SAMUEL    ELIOT,  President. 
JOHN    CUMMINGS,    Vice-President. 
HENRY   ENDICOTT,   Treasurer. 
M.    ANAGNOS,  Secretary. 


BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 


ROBERT  E.  APTHORP. 

FRANCIS  BROOKS. 

JOHN  S.  DWIGHT. 

JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER. 

J.  THEODORE  HEARD,  M.D. 

HENRY  LEE  HIGGLNSON. 


ANDRE\V  P.  PEABODY,  D.D. 
EDWARD  N.  PERKINS. 
JOSIAH   QUINCY. 
SAMUEL  G.  SNELLING. 
JAMES   STURGIS. 
GEORGE  W.  WALES. 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 
Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 


1879. 


Whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the 

Institi 

Uion  at  least  once  in  each  month. 

January    .  .  .  R.  E.  Apthorp. 

1879. 

July A.  P.  Pf.arodt. 

February.  .  .  Francis  Brooks. 

August  .  .  .  .  E.  N.  Perkins. 

March J.  S.  Dwight. 

September  .  .  Josiah  Quincy. 

April J.  B.  Glover. 

October.  .  .  .  S.  G.  Snelling. 

May J.  T.  He-^rd. 

November  .  .  James  Sturgis. 

June H.  L.  Higginson. 

December   .  .  Geo.  W.  Wales 

Committee  on  Education. 

House  Committee. 

J.  S.  Dwight. 

E.  N.  Perkins. 

A.  P.  Peabody. 

G.  W.  Wales. 

JOSTAH   QUINCT. 

Francis  Brooks. 

Committee  of  Finance. 

Committee  on  Health. 

R.  E.  Apthorp. 

J.  Theodore  Heard. 

J.  B.  Glover. 

E.  N.  Perklns. 

James  Sturgis. 

H.  L.  Higginson. 

Auditors  o 

f  Ace 

ounts. 

Rouert  E 

.  Apthorp. 

Samuel  G 

.  Spelling. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  I^STITUTIOISr. 


DIRECTOR. 

M.     ANAGNOS. 


MEDICAL     INSPECTOR. 
JOHN     HOMANS,    M.D. 


Miss  M.  L.  P.  Sfiattuck 
Miss  J.  R.  Oilman. 
Miss  Julia  Boylax. 


LITERARY    DEPARTMENT. 

Miss  Della  Bennett. 


Miss  LiDA  J.  Parker. 
Miss  S.  L.  Bennett. 


Miss  Mary  Moore. 


MUSICAL 
Resident  Teachers. 
Thomas  Reeves. 
Frank  H.  Kilbourne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Lizzie  Riley. 
Miss  Lucy  Hammond. 

Assistant. 
Miss  Arianna  Carter. 


DEPARTMENT. 

Non-Resident  Teachers. 
Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 
Henry  C.  Brown. 

C.    II.    IIlGCINS. 

Music  Readers. 
Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  K.  M.  Plummer. 
Miss  M.  L.  Allen. 


TUNING    DEPARTMENT. 
J.  "W.  Smith,  Instructor  and  Manager. 


INDUSTRIAL    DEPARTMENT. 


■Workshops  for  Juveniles. 
J.  H.  "Wright,   Work  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham,  Work  Mistre 
Thomas  Carroll,  Assistant. 
Miss  H.  Kellier,  Assistant. 


Workshop  for  Adults. 
A.  W.  Bowden,  Manafjer. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  DwELLY,  Forewoman. 
Miss  E.  M.  Whittier,  Clerk. 


Steward. 
A.  W.  Bowden. 

Matron. 
Miss  M.  C.  MouLTON. 
Miss  A.  F.  Cram,  Assistant. 


DOMESTIC    DEPARTMENT. 

Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Knowlton. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillinghajvi. 
Miss  Bessie  Wood. 
Miss  Lizzie  N.  Smith. 


Miss  E.  B.  Webster,  Book-keeper. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Lyrasis  IVIembers  and  Sloan  Foundation 


http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportoftr4752perk 


PROCEEDINGS 


ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


Boston,  Oct.  2,  1878. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the  president,  Dr. 
Samuel  Eliot,  at  four  o'clock  p.m. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  annual  meeting  were  read  by  the 
secretary  and  declared  approved. 

The  report  of  the  trustees  and  that  of  the  director  were 
presented,  accepted  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 

The  treasurer,  Mr.  Henry  Endicott,  read  his  report,  the 
acceptance  of  which  was  followed  by  the  election  of  officers 
for  the  ensuing  year. 

It  was  then  voted  that  the  second  by-law  be  amended,  so 
that  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation  shall  hereafter 
be  held  on  the  second  instead  of  tlie  first  Wednesday  in 
October. 

This  concluded  the  usual  business,  and  the  members  of 
the  corporation  then  proceeded  to  the  reception-room,  where 
a  marble  bust  of  Dr.  Howe  was  presented  to  them  by  the 
director  on  the  part  of  Mr.  George  W.  Wales,  now  absent  in 
Europe.  ,The  president.  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot,  in  accepting  the 
gift  in  behalf  of  the  corporation,  spoke  as  follows :  — 

"  Mr.  Director,  I  am  sure  that  the  corporation  are  not 
content  to  receive  the  gift  of  this  bust  in  silence.  They 
must  wish  that  some  one  should  speak  for  them,  and  I  there- 
fore offer  myself  to  express  the  feelings  which  move  them 


8  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND. 

all.  No  bust,  no  likeness  of  any  kind,  is  needed  to  keep  Dr. 
Howe  in  our  minds,  or  in  those  of  the  inmates  of  this  Insti- 
tution. He  lives  here  almost  as  evidently,  and  altogether  as 
really,  as  before  he  departed,  and  his  memory  will  be  cher- 
ished by  those  who  come  after  us  as  long  as  there  are  any  to 
come.  But  we  are  not  the  less  thankful  to  our  friend  and 
associate,  whom  you  represent,  and  to  whom  we  beg  you  to 
make  known  our  thankfulness,  for  this  admirable  bust, 
admirable  both  as  a  work  of  art  and  as  a  likeness,  and  which 
we  trust  will  long  adorn  the  school,  and  revive  its  most  cher- 
ished recollections,  should  they  ever  need  revival.  It  seems 
peculiarly  appropriate  that  one  who  knew  Dr.  Howe  so  well, 
and  was  associated  with  him  for  so  many  years  as  Mr.  Wales, 
should  be  the  giver  of  this  memorial.  We  accept  it,  sir, 
for  ourselves  and  for  our  successors,  and  promise  it  careful 
and  honorable  keeping." 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved,  and  the  members  of  the 
corporation  proceeded  with  the  invited  guests  to  visit  the 
school  and  inspect  the  premises. 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretanj^ 


CommoniDcaltl)  of  iHassacliuBctta. 


EEPORT    OF    THE    TRUSTEES. 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 

Boston,  Sept.  30,  1878. 

To  THE  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen,  —  The  undersigned,  Trustees,  respect- 
fully submit  to  your  consideration  their  forty-seventh 
annual  report  upon  the  affairs  of  the  Institution. 

It  embraces  the  usual  record  of  their  transactions  for 
the  financial  year  which  closes  to-day,  and  a  statement 
of  the  progress  and  wants  of  the  establishment,  and 
is  accompanied  by  such  documents  and  information  as 
are  requu-ed  by  law  and  usage. 

A  Brief  Review  of  the  Past  Year. 

The  history  of  the  past  year,  like  that  of  the  preced- 
ing one,  has  been  quite  uneventful. 

General  prosperity  has  attended  the  concerns  of  the 
Institution  since  our  last  report  was  laid  before  you. 
Its  course  of  usefulness  has  been  uninterrupted ;  and 
we  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  favor  with 
which  it  has  so  long  been  regarded  by  the  community, 
has  continued  undiminished. 


10  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  present  number  of  blind  persons  immediately 
connected  with  the  estabhshment  in  all  its  departments 
as  pupils,  instructors,  and  workmen  and  workwomen  is 
158. 

The  health  of  the  household  has  been,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, very  good ;  and  it  is  no  small  cause  of  grati- 
tude that  entu-e  years  should  pass  aWay  without  a  smgle 
death. 

The  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  inmates  have  been 
judiciously  attended  to,  and  theii'  improvement  has  been 
very  gratifying. 

The  attention  paid  to  cleanliness,  exercise,  a  whole- 
some and  generous  diet,  and  to  the  division  of  the 
hours  of  study,  music,  labor,  recreation  and  rest,  is  ap- 
parent in  the  healthful  appearance  of  the  pupils,  and 
in  the  zest  with  which  they  pursue  their  occupations. 

The  numerous  inmates  of  the  establishment,  then- 
countenances  beaming  with  intelligence,  contentment 
and  happiness,  seem  like  members  of  one  large  family, 
bound  together  by  a  common  tie  of  affection  and  recip- 
rocal regard. 

The  work  of  the  Institution  m  its  various  branches 
has  been  dihgently  carried  forward  mth  a  commendable 
degree  of  success. 

The  methods  and  appliances  of  instruction  and  train- 
ing have  undergone  such  changes  and  improvements, 
and  received  such  additions,  as  steady  progress  and  en- 
lightened experience  seemed  to  demand. 

The  quarterly  reports  of  the  Director  made  to  our 
Board  have  set  forth  minutely  the  admissions  and  dis- 
charges, and  have  kept  us  informed  of  the  details  of  the 
internal  management  of  the  school. 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  11 

Besides  these,  we  have  oiu'selves  exercised  general 
supervision  over  the  immediate  operations  of  the  estab- 
lishment by  formal  and  informal  visits  and  careful 
inspection  and  examination  of  the  premises ;  and  we 
are  happy  to  express  our  entire  satisfaction  with  the 
manner  in  which  its  administration  has  been  conducted. 

The  matured  experience  and  discretion  of  faithful 
and  conscientious  officers  and  the  harmony  existing 
among  them,  have  greatly  contributed  to  the  high 
moral  tone  of  the  household  and  to  the  general  pros- 
perity of  the  school. 

Such  is,  in  brief,  the  history  of  the  past  year.  For 
a  detailed  account  of  the  Institution  in  its  several  de- 
partments, as  well  as  of  its  present  condition  and  pros- 
pects, we  refer  you  to  the  report  of  the  director,  which 
is  herewith  submitted.  From  his  exhibit,  and  especial- 
ly from  a  minute  scrutiny  of  the  administration  of  the 
establishment,  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  abundant 
reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  its  continued 
success. 

The  Education  and  Training  of  the  Blind. 

The  nature  and  objects  of  this  Institution,  despite 
the  change  of  its  name  by  the  substitution  of  the  word 
school  for  asylum,  seem  stiU  so  imperfectly  understood 
by  the  many,  that  perhaps  a  few  words  of  explanation 
may  not  be  amiss  here. 

As  has  been  repeatedly  stated  in  our  annual  reports, 
the  establishment  is  purely  an  educational  one,  and  has 
been  so  conducted  as  to  prevent  it  from  degenerating 
into  an  asylum  or  refuge.  It  constitutes  an  important 
link  in  the  great  chain  of  public  schools,  and  aims  at 


12  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  intellectual  and  moral  culture  of  the  blind,  and 
then-  social  elevation.  It  iDroposes  to  teach  them  self- 
reliance,  independence,  manliness,  pride  of  character, 
and  the  love  of  truth.  Its  system  of  education  includes 
the  development  of  all  their  powers,  both  mental  and 
bodily,  and  the  increase  of  their  activity  and  manual 
dexterity.  It  intends  to  train  them  in  various  pursuits 
by  means  of  which  they  may  be  able  to  earn  a  livelihood 
in  these  days  when  the  struggle  for  life  is  so  hard  and 
the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  is  becoming  very 
general. 

In  advocating  the  cause  of  the  education  of  the  blind, 
and  endeavoring  to  obtain  for  them  those  advantages 
to  which  in  fairness  they  are  entitled,  we  ask  for  no 
special  favors,  nor  for  pri\aleges  arising  from  the  gen- 
erous sources  of  pity,  and  justified  on  the  score  of  sym- 
pathy and  indulgence.  We  vindicate  a  higher  claim. 
We  appeal  to  the  sense  of  justice  and  not  to  the  tender 
feelings  of  charity  in  the  community.  We  assert  the 
right  of  the  blmd  to  demand  a  participation  in  all 
benefits  which  our  State  provides  for  every  child  in 
the  Commonwealth,  maintaining  that,  since  they  camiot 
be  taught  iu  the  common  schools,  an  express  provision 
must  be  made  for  the  purpose ;  and  we  must  grate- 
fully acknowledge  that  the  claim  has  been  promptly 
recognized  and  cheerfully  accorded  to  them. 

This  policy,  founded  upon  the  rock  of  equity,  while 
it  is  honorable  to  the  State  and  creditable  to  its  people, 
acts  favorably  upon  the  blind  themselves.  It  strength- 
ens theh  good  impulses,  and  fosters  in  them  an  upward 
tendency  and  a  noble  determination  to  become  useful 
and  independent.     It  inspires  them  with    self-respect, 


1878.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  13 

and  makes  them  aim  at  a  higher  place   in  the  social 
scale  than  they  would  otherwise  seek. 

How  far  the  system  of  education  and  training  adopted 
in  oui-  Institution  has  succeeded  in  the  fulfilment  of  its 
object,  and  how  high  the  standard  of  the  mental  and 
moral  condition  of  the  blind  of  New  England  has  been 
raised  through  its  agency,  can  be  easily  seen  by  the 
large  numbers  of  respectable,  prosperous,  thriving,  and 
industrious  sightless  persons  scattered  everywhere,  who 
fill  places  of  trust  and  responsibility,  are  self-support- 
ing, perform  the  duties  and  enjoy  the  privileges  of 
citizenship,    and    are    active    and    useful    members    of 

society. 

The  Condition  of  the  School. 

The  condition  of  the  various  departments  of  the 
Institution  continues  to  be  very  satisfactory,  and  its 
usefulness  and  importance  increase  from  year  to  year. 

The  musical,  tuning,  and  technical  departments  are 
complete  in  theii"  equipments,  and  keep  their  rank 
among  the  best  and  most  efi"ective  instrumentalities  for 
raising  the  moral  and  social  condition  of  the  blind. 

The  intellectual  department  has  been  greatly  im- 
proved during  the  past  year,  and  good  progress  has 
been  made  in  its  re-organization.  The  course  of  studies 
has  been  systematically  arranged,  and  the  standard  of 
.the  acquirements  of  the  pupils  considerably  raised. 

The  degree  of  success  attained  in  all  the  classes,  in 
proportion  to  the  time  of  instruction,  reflects  great  credit 
on  the  diligence  and  capacity  of  both  teachers  and 
scholars. 

The  advanced  condition  of  the  school  and  the  char- 
acter of  its  curriculum  were  manifestly  shown  in  the 


14  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. - 

searching  quarterly  and  annual  examinations,  as  well  as 
at  the  graduating  exercises,  which  were  held  at  the 
close  of  the  term,  and  witnessed  by  a  large  number  of 
citizens.  From  two  of  the  many  favorable  notices  on 
the  subject  in  the  daily  newspapers  we  extract  the 
following :  — 

"  For  the  first  time  in  its  historj^  the  Perkins  Institution  for  the 
Blind  at  South  Boston  observed  the  close  of  the  school  year  with 
public  commencement  exercises.  There  has  been  a  regular  course 
established,  and  classes  have  been  annually  graduated  for  many 
years,  but  not  with  that  eclat  which  attends  a  public  commence- 
ment. The  advanced  condition  to  which  the  Institute  has  now 
attained  and  the  character  of  the  studies  pursued  make  a  creditable 
exhibition  possible. 

"There  were  several  peculiarities  about  the  exercises  which 
were  surprising  to  those  who  never  had  witnessed  similar  exhibi- 
tions. In  the  first  place  the  scope  of  the  instruction  as  shown  in 
the  exercises  was  a  revelation.  Nineteen  persons  out  of  twenty 
have  so  little  information  upon  the  subject,  that  they  are  unaware 
that  this  noble  institution  long  ago  left  behind  the  idea  that  rudi- 
mentary instruction  could  alone  be  given  to  the  blind,  and 
launched  out  into  the  teaching  of  every  branch  of  knowledge  that 
is  included  in  the  curriculum  of  a  well  established  academy-. 

"  A  young  miss,  feeling  along  from  bone  to  bone  of  a  ghastly 
skeleton,  gave  an  admirable  description  of  the  construction  of 
the  framework  of  the  human  body ;  a  young  gentleman  exhibited 
some  of  the  operations  of  electricity,  performing  delicate  experi- 
ments with  remarkable  accuracy ;  two  j'oung  pupils  picked  out. 
geographical  points  on  raised  maps  unerringl}' ;  and  all  this  was 
done  not  parrot-like  or  by  rote,  but  with  the  stamp  of  originality 
and  genuineness.  Concerning  individuals,  it  was  remarkable  that 
they  exhibited  none  of  that  shamefacedness  which  is  so  conspi- 
cuous among  the  blushing  graduates  of  the  common  schools. 

"In  the  essaj-s  there  was  a  total  absence  of  those  hackneyed 
expressions  which  make  up  the  ordinary  composition,  and  the  vale- 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  15 

dictory  especially  was  a  sweet,  pure,  strong,  and  really  remarkable 
production,  in  which  its  author  spoke  of  the  changes  which  had 
come  upon  the  Institution  during  the  ten  years  of  his  acquaintance 

with  it." 

The  Trustees  expressed  theii'  gratification  at  the  prog- 
ress of  the  school  m  the  following  vote,  which  was 
unanimously  passed  at  the  quarterly  meetmg,  and  com- 
municated by  the  secretary  to  aU  the  teachers :  — 

"  Voted,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  are  hereby 
cordially  tendered  to  the  whole  corps  of  instructors  of  the  Institu- 
tion ; —  that  we  regard  with  entire  satisfaction  the  devotion,  the 
kindness,  the  united  feeling  and  the  rare  tact  and  skill  shown  at 
all  times  by  each  and  all  in  the  fulfilment  of  tasks  so  difficult ;  — 
and  that  we  congratulate  them  on  the  signal  success  of  their  work, 
so  manifest  to  all  who  witnessed  the  annual  examinations,  and 
especially  the  graduating  exercises  at  the  close  of  the  past  school 
year." 

The  Board,  mindful  of  the  attachment  of  the  corps 
of  teachers  and  officers  to  the  interests  of  the  Institu- 
tion, and  of  their  earnest  efforts  and  efficient  services 
cheerfully  rendered  for  the  improvement  and  welfare  of 
its  pupils,  consider  this  vote  as  something  more  than  a 
formal  one. 

While  the  present  condition  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  estabhshment  and  the  fruits  of  the  labors 
of  the  past  year  are  satisfactory  to  us,  and,  we  hope,  to 
the  friends  of  the  school,  let  us  add  that  the  future  is 
full  of  promise.  With  a  well-organized  and  wisely 
arranged  system  of  education ;  with  teachers  possessing 
zeal  and  abiUty  to  carry  it  out ;  with  methods  of  instruc- 
tion which  are  the  product  of  many  years'  experience 
and  reflection;  with  sufficient  tangible  appliances  and 


16  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

apparatus,  and  with  the  constant  supervision  of  efficient 
officers,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  state  that  the  best  results 
will  be  attained  that  the  capacity  and  ckcumstances  of 
the  pupils  admit. 

Finances. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  Henry  Endicott, 
herewith  submitted,  contains  a  detailed  account  of  the 
finances  of  the  Institution  for  the  past  year. 

It  appears  from  this  exhibit  that  the  amount  of  cash 
on  hand  Oct.  1,  1877,  was  |2,836  75 

Total  receipts  during  the  past  year  66,122  80 

168,959  55 
Total  expenditures  66,309  88 

This  leaves  a  cash  balance  of  $2,649  67 

in  the  treasury. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer  is  accompanied  by  an 
analysis  of  the  steward's  account,  which  gives  specific 
information  in  regard  to  the  principal  articles  purchased, 
their  quantity,  and  the  aggregate  price  paid  for  each. 

The  funds  of  the  Institution  have  been  carefuUy  man- 
aged and  judiciously  applied,  both  to  promote  the  intel- 
lectual advancement  of  the  pupils  and  to  secure  their 
physical  comfort. 

The  strictest  economy,  consistent  with  the  health  of 
the  household-  and  the  efficiency  of  the  school,  has  been 
studied  and  practised  in  every  department. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  purchase  of  sup- 
plies, which  have  been  bought  for  cash  at  the  lowest 
cost,  and  all  the  disbursements  have  been  prudently 
made. 

The  accounts  have  been  kept  during  the  year  with 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  17 

the  same  precision,  distinctness,  and  method  as  hereto- 
fore. 

The  auditors,  Messrs.  E,.  E.  Apthorp  and  S.  G.  Snell- 
ing,  have  exercised  the  usual  supervision  over  the 
expenditures  of  the  estabhshment,  examining  every 
month's  accounts  regularly,  and  have  certified  that  they 
are  correctly  kept,  and  that  all  entries  are  authenticated 
by  vouchers. 

It  is  no  more  than  just  to  these  gentlemen,  as  well  as 
to  the  treasurer,  to  say  that  they  have  discharged  theu' 
respective  duties  with  singular  fidelity,  disinterestedness, 
and  wisdom,  and  to  acknowledge  our  obligations  to 
them. 

The  Board  would  cordially  invite  the  most  rigid 
examination  of  the  finances  of  the  Institution,  feeling 
assured  that  such  a  scrutiny  cannot  but  result  in  the 
confii'mation  of  the  favorable  views  above  expressed  in 
reference  to  the  same. 

Need  of  Additional  Funds. 

We  take  sincere  pleasure  in  stating  that  the  Institu- 
tion has  been  so  fortunate  in  the  administration  of  its 
afi"au's  in  general  as  to  reach  a  high  degree  of  efficiency 
and  usefulness.  Yet  even  more  could  be  efi'ected,  were 
the  necessary  means  at  bur  command. 

Our  great  and  pressing  need  is  for  more  aid  than  can 
be  furnished  from  the  ordinary  sources  of  income  pos- 
sessed by  the  Institution,  for  carrying  out  several  pro- 
jects which  are  of  immense  importance  to  our  pupils. 

The  value  of  the  school  as  an  agency  in  developing 
and  diversifying  the  powers  of  the  blind,  and  in  raismg 
them  to  the  rank  of  industrious  and  productive  mem- 


18  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

bers  of  society,  can  only  be  maintained  by  increasing  its 
means. 

We  trust  that  an  establishment,  which  was  conceived 
and  reared  by  the  benevolence  and  generosity  of  the 
noblest  citizens  of  Boston  and  of  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  has  already  contributed  so  much  to  the  reali- 
zation of  some  of  the  leading  principles  of  social  philoso- 
phy and  political  economy,  wdll  not  be  allowed  to  fail 
of  the  highest  results  for  want  of  additional  funds. 

Improveiments  and  Repairs. 

By  exercising  rigid  economy  in  the  expenditure  of 
the  annual  income  of  the  Institution,  we  have  again 
been  enabled  to  make  a  number  of  improvements  and 
repairs,  which  were  greatly  needed,  the  former  to  add 
to  the  comfort  and  well  being  of  the  inmates,  the  latter 
to  keep  the  buildings  in  good  condition. 

The  principal  of  these  are  as  follows  :  — 

Gymnasium. 

The  erection  of  a  gymnasium,  which  has  been  a 
great  desideratum  for  a  long  time,  has  been  accom- 
plished during  the  past  year. 

A  commodious  brick  building,  97  feet  long,  26  feet 
wide,  and  16  feet  high,  has  been  erected  where  the 
greenhouse  stood,  and  will  soon  be  furnished  with  suita- 
ble apparatus  and  made  ready  for  use.  It  is  so  con- 
veniently situated  as  to  be  accessible  from  all  parts 
of  the  establishment,  and  is  well  calculated  to  answer 
the  purpose  for  which  it  is  designed. 

The  importance  of  the  erection  of  a  building  of  this 
kind  is  so  evident  as  hardly  to  require  demonstration. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  19 

As  a  general  rule,  many  among  the  blind  childi-en  are 
stunted  in  their  growth  and  wanting  in  bodily  strength 
and  vigor.  The  elasticity  of  the  arm  and  limb,  which 
seeing  youth  obtain  by  their  free  gambols  and  ceaseless 
activity,  must  be  developed  in  the  sightless  by  means  of 
systematic  and  progressive  exercise.  It  is  necessary 
therefore  to  have  our  pupils  devote  a  part  of  every  day 
during  the  years  of  theii'  school  course  to  regular  gym- 
nastics, or  to  some  manual  occupation,  which  may  build 
up  and  invija:orate  their  physical  constitution,  thereby 
stimulating  their  energy  and  increasing  their  activity. 

The  gallery  erected  the  year  before  last  for  the  use 
of  the  gu-ls  during  recesses  in  inclement  weather,  and 
for  exercises  of  various  sorts,  has  proved  a  valuable 
adjunct  in  our  system  of  physical  training,  and  has  con- 
tributed in  many  ways  to  the  improvement  of  the 
health,  carriage,  and  appearance  of  the  female  pupils. 

We   trust   that   the    gymnasium  will   prove    no  less 

beneficial. 

Laundry  and  Printing -Office. 

The  capacity  of  the  laundry  was  not  adequate  to  the 
size  of  the  household,  and  its  extension  over  the  old 
coal-vault  had  been  for  some  time  planned.  This  was 
effected  during  vacation  at  a  comparatively  moderate 
expense,  and  will  give  room  enough  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  all  kinds  of  improved  machinery  for  washing 
and  ironing,  and  for  facilitating  the  work. 

Over  the  whole  extent  of  the  laundry,  which  is  70 
feet  long  and  2^  feet  wide,  another  story  has  been  built 
of  the  same  materials  and  in  the  same  style.  This  spa- 
cious superstructure  is  intended  for  the  printing-office 
of  the  Institution  and  for  a  bindery,  and  is  well  lighted 


20  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

and  ventilated.  Its  situation  being  dii'cctly  above  the 
boilers  affords  uncommon  facilities  for  the  employment 
of  steam-power  in  prmting  and  other  purposes. 

Boiler-Room  and  Coal-Vault. 

In  connection  with  the  engine-house  a  large  vault  has 
been  built  to  contain  an  additional  boiler,  which  is  very 
much  needed,  and  the  capacity  of  the  coal-vault  has 
been  so  increased  as  to  accommodate  more  than  .our 
annual  supply  of  fuel.  In  order  to  avoid  the  least 
encroachment  upon  the  play-ground,  both  the  new  room 
and  the  extension  of  the  vault  are  under  ground.  They 
are  covered  with  arches  built  of  brick  and  cement,  and 
the  proximity  of  the  vault  to  the  boilers  is  such  that 
much  labor  and  waste  wiU  be  saved  in  moving  the  coal 
to  the  furnaces. 

Minor  Changes  and  Improvements. 

Many  other  alterations  and  improvements  of  a  minor 
character  have  been  made  during  the  year.  They 
consist  in  the  remodelling  of  the  whole  system  of 
drainage  both  in  the  mam  building  and  in  the  cottages, 
executed  in  accordance  with  the  suggestions  of  Dr. 
Heard  of  the  committee  on  health,  who  has  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  this  subject  and  studied  it  in  all  its 
phases ;  in  increasing  the  accommodations  of  the  main 
building  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  household;  in  re- 
fitting and  rendering  habitable  the  attic  rooms  in  the 
east  wing ;  in  furnishing  a  spacious  attic  with  shelves 
for  storing  all  the  books  that  are  for  sale ;  and  in 
making  another  convenient  little  room  for  maps  and 
apparatus  in  the  attic  of  the  schoolhouse  for  girls. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  21 

In  executing  the  above-named  repaii's  and  improve- 
ments we  have  aimed  at  advancing'  the  best  interests 
of  the  Institution  so  far  as  the  means  at  our  command 
would  allow,  and  securing  in  the  highest  practicable 
degree  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  its  inmates. 

All  the  plans,  specifications,  and  contracts  were  pre- 
pared by  the  officers  of  the  establishment,  and  we  are 
happy  to  state  that  the  work  has  been  completed  in  an 
economical  and  satisfactory  manner. 

Legacies. 

The  decision  of  the  supreme  court  respecting  the 
munificent  gift  of  the  late  Miss  Charlotte  Harris  was 
favorable  to  the  Institution,  and  the  amount  of  the 
legacy  has  been  paid  over  to  our  treasurer. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  be  able  to  report  that  the  noble 
ranks  of  the  friends  of  the  blind  are  increasing  from 
year  to  year,  and  that  this  establishment  is  the  occa- 
sional recipient  of  generous  bequests  from  benevolent 
men  and  women. 

We  gratefully  acknowledge  the  following  legacies, 
which  have  been  received  since  our  last  annual  report 
was  presented  to  the  corporation :  — 

From   the    estate    of  the   late  Ruth  .G 

De  Witt  of  South  Berwick,  Me.  .         $1,997  50 

From    the    estate   of   the    late   Thomas 

Liversidge  of  Boston    .         .         .         5,000  00 

From   the    estate    of   the   late   William 

Taylor  of  Tewksbury,  Mass.        .         5,000  00 

Thus  three  new  names,  together  with  that  of  Miss 
Charlotte  Harris,  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  the 
benefactors  of  the  blind,   and  will  shine,  like    bright 


22  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

stars,  in  the  constellation  of  beneficence.  The  seed 
which  they  have  generously  sown  in  the  fertile  field  of 
humanity  will  not  perish,  but  will  continue  to  yield 
fruit  through  long  years  to  come. 

The  disposition  of  the  income  of  these  bequests  will 
be  made  in  such  a  manner  that  both  the  memory  of  the 
donors  and  the  benefit  of  their  gifts  shall  be  perpetuated. 

Printing  for  the  Blind. 

The  work  in  our  printing-office  has  been  carried  on 
vigorously  and  uninterruptedly  during  the  past  year, 
and  four  volumes  have  been  published.  Those  of  the 
books  which  are  of  permanent  value,  such  as  the 
English  Reader,  or  extracts  from  British  and  American 
literature  in  prose  and  verse,  have  been  electrotyped, 
and  the  plates  produced  by  this  process  are  very 
accurate  and  durable. 

The  importance  of  embossed  books  and  tangible 
apparatus  for  the  development  and  happiness  of  the 
blind  is  too  obvious  to  require  demonstration.  They 
are  the  most  effective  means  to  enlighten  the  under- 
standing, beguile  the  solitary  hours  and  delight  the 
hearts  of  persons  thus  afflicted.  They  are  to  the 
improvement  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  nature  of 
the  blind  what  sunlight  is  to  the  growth  of  plants. 
Nothing  can  be  more  precious  to  a  sightless  person 
than  books  legible  by  the  finger.  There  are  many 
hours  in  which  blind  people  depend  entirely  upon 
their  o^vn  resources  for  comfort  and  enjoyment,  and 
every  thing  that  lessens  their  dependence  on  others  for 
entertainment  and  occupation  must  necessarily  tend  to 
lighten  the  burden  of  their  calamity  and  brighten  their 
existence. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  23 

This  Institution  was  the  pioneer  in  this  country  in 
the  work  of  creating  a  library  for  the  bhnd.  The  only 
real  and  substantial  improvements  for  embossing  books 
and  constructing  apparatus  adapted  to  the  sense  of 
touch  were  originated  and  carried  out  here.  The  mat- 
ter was  earnestly  taken  up  in  the  year  1834,  and  more 
has  been  contributed  by  this  establishment  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise  from  its  own  funds  and  from 
those  specially  raised  for  the  purpose,  than  by  any  and 
perhaps  all  others.  The  difficulties  and  obstacles  which 
Dr.  Howe  met  with  in  pushing  on  the  work  were  dis- 
heartening and  almost  overwhelming  at  times,  and  for 
thirty-five  years  the  whole  weight  of  the  undertaking 
was  borne  on  his  shoulders  with  very  little  encourage- 
ment from  any  source  outside  of  Boston  and  Massa- 
chusetts. 

There  are  at  present  several  other  printing-offices  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  which  are  doing  a  good 
work.  But  we  are  determined  that  oui;s  shall  continue 
its  beneficent  operations  as  long  as  the  Institution  lasts. 
It  will  soon  be  removed  to  the  spacious  brick  building 
recently  erected  for  the  purpose,  and  will  be  supplied 
with  new  materials  and  improved  machinery.  Its  mere 
existence  is  permanently  secured  by  the  income  of  a 
special  fund  of  about  sixteen  thousand  dollars ;  and  we 
appeal  to  the  public  for  such  additional  aid  as  shall 
increase  its  usefulness,  and  place  it  beyond  the  reach 
of  need. 

The  consciousness  of  having  been  instrumental  in 
sweetening  the  cup  of  life  to  the  affiicted  is  a  great 
boon  to  those  who  have  the  stewardship  of  riches.  To 
instil  the  blessings  of  light  and  knowledge  into  other- 


24  INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

wise  darkened  minds,  to  alleviate  the  pangs  of  misfor- 
tune by  providing  the  means  of  intellectual  expansion 
and  enjoyment  is  a  deed,  the  beneficial  results  of  which 
can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  No  trumpets  may 
announce  its  performance;    no   heralds    cry  it  in   the 

streets. 

"  It  droppeth  as  the  gentle  dew  from  heaven." 

The  pseans  of  gladdened  hearts  proclaim  the  welcome 
benefaction. 

The  "  Howe  Memorial  Fund." 

About  five  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars  have  been 
added  during  the  past  year  to  this  fund,  which  was 
established  by  the  "  Howe  Memorial  Committee "  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  means  for  embossing  books 
for  the  blind  in  accordance  with  the  purpose  and  well 
known  wishes  of  their  lamented  friend  and  great  bene- 
factor. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  above  amount  was  con- 
tributed by  a  life-long  friend  of  Dr.  Howe,  Mrs.  Sarah 
S.  Russell,  who  accompanied  her  munificent  gift  with 
the  following  letter,  dated  May  15,  1878  :  — 

"Please  find  enclosed  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars,  which 
please  add  to  the  '  Howe  Memorial  Fund '  for  embossing  books 
for  the  blind.  I  take  much  interest  in  your  Institution  not  only 
for  itself,  but  for  the  friendship  and  respect  I  have  alwa3's  felt  for 
Dr.  Howe,  and  trust  you  have  many  subscriptions  for  the  same 
object." 

The  following  reply  was  written  by  the  Director,  to 
whom  Mrs.  Russell's  letter  was  addressed :  — 

"  I  hardly  know  how  to  express  to  you  my  gratitude  and  sur- 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  25 

prise  on  receiving  your  munificent  gift  of  five  hundred  dollars 
(SoOO) ,  to  be  added  to  the  '  Howe  Memorial  Fund '  for  emboss- 
ing books  for  the  blind.  The  Institution  has  indeed  reason  to 
rank  3'ou  among  its  benefactors,  and  the  intelligence  of  your 
generous  donation  will  give  the  utmost  delight  both  to  our  pupils 
and  to  all  who  are  interested  in  their  cause.  The  printing  enter- 
prise deserves  and  needs  almost  more  encouragement  than  any 
other  branch  of  our  endeavors,  as  being  so  extremely  expensive ; 
and  I  only  wish  it  had  more  such  friends. 

"The  affectionate  regard  ever  cherished  by  the  doctor  towards 
Mr.  Russell  and  yourself,  and  your  mention  of  this  friendship,  ren- 
ders the  gift  doubly  precious." 

The  Trustees  cordially  concur  in  the  acknowledg- 
ments and  sentiments  expressed  in  the  above  letter,  and 
earnestly  hope  that  IVIrs.  Russell's  generous  contribution 
to  so  worthy  a  cause  may  prove  a  stimulus  to  similar 
benefactions  from  others. 

Bust  of  Dr.  Howe. 

The  Institution  has  been  made  the  recipient,  through 
the  generosity  of  one  of  its  kindest  friends,  Mr.  George 
W.  Wales,  of  a  noble  bust  of  its  founder,  by  the  Cheva- 
lier Cantalamessa,  Professor  of  the  Academy  of  St. 
Luke  in  Eome. 

As  a  likeness  of  our  late  beloved  Director,  as  weU  as 
a  memento  of  the  generosity  of  the  donor,  this  beautiful 
work  of  art  will  be  prized  and  held  sacred  as  long  as 
the  Institution  shall  stand.  The  Trustees  return  their 
thanks,  in  their  own  name  and  in  that  of  the  entire 
school,  to  Mr.  Wales  for  his  princely  gift.  The  bust  is 
placed  in  the  reception  room.  This  location  has  been 
selected  as  the  best  fitted  for  its  display,  and  as  one 
where  it  may  be  enjoyed  by  all  who  visit  the  Institution. 


26  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Work  Department  for  Adults. 

This  department  continues  to  be  affected  by  the  gen- 
eral depression  of  business  in  the  country,  and  our 
accounts  show  that  there  is  but  little  variation  in  its 
financial  condition. 

During  the  past  year  the  receipts  from  all  sources 
Amounted  to  $12,026.74,  being  less  by  |T04.15  than 
those  of  the  previous  one. 

The  balance  against  the  department  is  $1,711.74, 
while  $1,749.27  were  paid  out  of  the  treasury  the  year 
before  the  last. 

In  order  to  curtail  the  expenses  of  the  concern,  and, 
as  far  as  possible,  balance  them  with  the  receipts,  we 
have  been  obliged  to  adopt  strict  economic  measures. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  services  of  one  of  the 
clerks  at  the  store  were  dispensed  with,  and  the  sched- 
ule of  wages  and  of  the  rates  paid  for  piece  work  was 
revised,  and  a  reduction  of  ten  per  cent  made.  This 
was  done  with  great  reluctance  and  sincere  regret  on 
our  part;  but  the  question  whether  to  do  this  or  to 
allow  the  work  department  to  stagger  along  under  a 
heavy  burden  and  to  run  the  risk  of  being  finally 
crushed  by  it,  presented  itself  so  forcibly  that  there  was 
no  alternative  left. 

We  hardly  need  repeat  the  statement,  that  this  shop 
is  a  blessing  to  blind  persons,  and  that  its  preservation 
is  a  great  boon  to  many  of  them.  Through  its  agency 
they  have  been  enabled  to  become  independent  and  to 
secure  for  themselves  by  diligence  and  thrift  the  com- 
forts of  home,  and  the  inestimable  enjoyments  of  domes- 
tic happiness.     They  live  in  lodgings  of  their  own,  or  in 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  27 

respectable  boarding-houses  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
come  at  regular  hours  to  their  work  as  other  men 
and  women  do.  Their  time  is  usually  kept  employed, 
and  they  are  paid  for  their  labor  at  fair  rates,  each  one 
receiving  a  certain  sum"  according  to  his  industry  and 
skill.  Those  who  are  experts  in  their  trades  are  able 
not  only  to  pay  their  expenses,  but  to  lay  aside  a  part 
of  thek  wages  for  a  rainy  day ;  but  the  majority  of 
them  can  earn  only  enough  to  pay  for  theu'  board  and 
clothing.  This,  however,  is  of  immense  value  to  them, 
because  it  relieves  them  from  that  state  of  dependence 
which  more  than  any  thing  else  makes  the  blind  man 
unhappy  and  discontented  with  his  lot  in  life. 

The  rules,  arrangements  and  supplies  of  stock  in  the 
work  department  are  such  as  to  facilitate  the  prompt 
and  faithful  execution  of  all  orders  for  new  mattresses, 
pillows,  comforters  and  feather-beds ;  for  dressing, 
cleansing,  and  making  over  old  ones ;  for  repairing  and 
re-upholstering  of  all  kinds  of  parlor  furniture ;  for 
reseating  cane-bottomed  chairs  ;  for  supplying  churches 
and  vessels  with  cushions ;  for  brooms,  brushes,  door- 
mats, and  the  like.  The  materials  used  are  of  the  first 
quality,  and  warranted  to  be  precisely  such  as  they  are 
represented,  while  the  charges  are  generally  more  rea- 
sonable than  those  made  in  other  stores  of  the  kind. 
We  have  neither  the  rent  of  a  factory  nor  the  high 
wages  of  workmen  to  pay,  and  we  can  therefore  afford 
to  compete  with  other  establishments  on  favorable 
terms. 

Ladies,  housekeepers  and  others  are  respectfully 
invited  to  call  and  examine  the  articles  made  by  the 
blind,  the  materials  used  in  their  manufacture,  and  the 


28  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

scale  of  their  prices  ;  and  we  venture  to  say  that  they 
will  be  fully  satisfied  in  their  expectations.  We  beg  of 
no  one  to  purchase  the  manufactures  of  the  blind  from 
charity  ;  but  feeling  confident  that  they  can  work  well, 
knowing  that  they  do  work  faithfully  and  skilfully, 
and  believing  that  a  generous  public  will  give  them  at 
least  a  fair  share  of  patronage,  we  do  not  hesitate  to 
nrge  theii-  claims. 

General  Remarks. 

It  is  a  source  of  sincere  pleasure  to  the  members  of 
the  Board  to  be  able  to  express  their  satisfaction  at  the 
high  standing  of  the  Institution  as  a  source  of  intel- 
lectual and  moral  light  for  the  blind  of  New  England. 

It  has  reached  a  position  not  only  creditable  to  the 
community  and  honorable  to  the  State,  but  encouraging 
to  the  great  cause  of  general  education. 

While  we  would  make  no  invidious  comparisons 
between  this  and  other  schools  of  the  kind,  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  affirm  that  ours  is  as  well  organized  and 
equipped  with  educational  appliances  and  tangible 
apparatus  as  any  other  in  the  world,  and  that  the  work 
of  instructing  and  benefiting  those  who  are  under  our 
charge  is  prosecuted  with  as  much  efficiency  and  success 
as  anywhere  else.  No  Institution  for  the  blind  in  this 
country  has  sent  out  into  the  world  a  larger  proportion 
of  useful  and  prosperous  men,  who  by  manly,  correct 
and  active  lives  have  honored  themselves  and  their  alma 
mater. 

The  feeling  of  confidence  and  kindness  between 
pupils  and  officers,  manifested  in  various  ways,  proves 
that  the  government  of  the  establishment,  while  it  is 
efficient,  is  at  the  same  time  mild  and  parental. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  29 

The  Trustees  cordially  invite  the  executive  officers  of 
the  New  England  States,  and  all  who  are  officially  or 
personally  interested  in  the  blind,  or  in  the  cause  of 
education  in  general,  to  visit  the  Institution  and  to 
observe  its  workings  and  the  means  employed  for  the 
intellectual,  physical,  musical,  and  technical  training  of 
the  pupils,  as  closely  as  possible,  believing  that  such  an 
investigation  will  prove  beneficial  to  the  establishment 
and  its  interests. 

We  cannot  close  this  report  without  earnestly  com- 
mending the  school  and  its  concerns  to  the  guardian 
care  of  a  wise  and  prudent  legislature,  and  to  the 
favorable  consideration  of  a  generous  public,  hoping 
that  it  may  prosper  in  all  future  time  as  it  has  done 
hitherto,  until  it  shall  have  fully  accomplished  the  be- 
neficent ends  and  purposes  for  which  it  was  established. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

ROBERT  E.  APTHORP, 
FRANCIS   BROOKS, 
JOHN   S.  D WIGHT, 
JOSEPH  B.   GLOVER, 
J.   THEODORE  HEARD, 
HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON, 
ANDREW   P.    PEABODY, 
EDWARD   N.   PERKINS, 
JOSIAH   QUINCY, 
SAMUEL   G.    SNELLING, 
JAMES   STURGIS, 
GEORGE  W.   WALES, 

T7'ustees. 


so  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 


THE  REPORT  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To  THE  Board  of  Trustees. 

Gentlemen^  —  In  obedience  to  the  regulation  and  cus- 
tom, which  require  nie  to  lay  before  you  an  annual 
account  of  the  operations  and  the  management  of  the 
internal  affairs  of  the  Institution,  I  have  the  honor  to 
present  to  you  herewith  the  report  of  the  Du'ector  for 
the  past  year. 

This  communication  is  in  substance  a  resume  of  the 
brief  statements  quarterly  submitted  to  your  Board, 
together  with  such  thoughts  and  suggestions  on  the 
education  of  the  blind  as  come  within  the  scope  of  a 
document  of  this  kind. 

It  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  report  that  nothing  has 
occurred  during  the  year  to  mar  the  general  harmony 
and  orderly  working  of  the  Institution. 

The  intellectual,  moral,  musical,  and  technical  in- 
struction of  the  pupils  has  been  prosecuted  with  com- 
mendable diligence  and  encouraging  success. 

A  fair  number  of  scholars  have  excelled  in  their 
studies  and  occupations,  and  the  large  majority  may 
be  considered  as  having  done  well. 

Every  department  of  the  Institution  has  been  con- 
ducted with  sound  discretion,  and  the  duties  devolving 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  31 

upon  all  my  assistants  have  been  faithfully  discharged 
to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  good  fruit  of  last  year's  labors  is  mostly  due  to 
an  uncommon  spirit  of  devotion  to  the  objects  for  which 
the  school  was  established  on  the  part  of  all  connected 
with  it. 

Increasing  experience  suggests  from  time  to  time 
some  modification  of  our  methods  of  instruction  and 
administration,  and  every  opportunity  for  improvement 
is  promptly  seized. 

The  management  of  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  Insti- 
tution and  the  comfort  of  its  beneficiaries  have  received 
as  faithful  care  and  attention  as  heretofore,  and  peace 
and  contentment  have  generally  prevailed. 

Number  of  Inmates. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected  with 
the  Institution  at  the  beginning  of  the  past  year  as 
pupils,  teachers,  employes  and  workmen  or  workwomen, 
was  162.  There  have  since  been  admitted  20  ;  24  have 
been  discharged,  making  the  present  total  number  158. 
Of  these  139  are  in  the  school  proper,  and  19  in  the 
work  department  for  adults. 

The  fust  class  includes  126  boys  and  girls  enrolled  as 
pupils,  seven  teachers,  and  five  domestics.  Of  the 
pupils  there  are  now  sixty-six  boys  and  forty-two  girls 
in  attendance ;  eleven  of  the  former  and  seven  of  the 
latter  being  absent  on  account  of  physical  disability  or 
from  other  causes. 

The  second  class  comprises  fifteen  men  and  four 
women  employed  in  the  workshop  for  adult  blind  per- 
sons. 


32  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

The  number  of  applicants  is  steadily  increasing  from 
year  to  year,  and  all  who  are  of  proper  age  and  quali- 
fications are  promptly  admitted.  Besides  these,  there 
are  within  my  knowledge  many  little  blind  children 
who  are  too  young  to  be  received  in  a  school  like  ours, 
but  who  would  derive  an  immense  benefit  from  a  kin- 
dergarten adapted  to  theu'  wants,  if  one  could  be 
organized  either  near  here  or  elsewhere. 

We  continue  to  receive  interesting  accounts  from 
many  of  our  graduates,  and  often  hear  details  of  their 
usefulness  as  members  of  the  communities  in  which 
they  live,  and  of  their  virtues  and  exemplary  conduct. 
It  must  be  gratifying  to  the  friends  of  the  Institution, 
as  it  is  to  its  officers,  to  find  that  some  of  them  have 
gained  access  to  places  of  profit  and  trust  which  it  was 
once  supposed  they  were  unfitted  to  occupy  by  their 
peculiar  deprivation. 

AssisT.iNT  Officers. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  past  year  it  is  not  the 
least  gratifying  consideration  that  there  has  been  no 
change,  or  occasion  to  desire  a  change  in  any  of  the 
teachers  and  officers  of  the  Institution.  All  of  them, 
givmg  head  and  heart,  as  well  as  labor  and  their  time, 
to  the  discharge  of  their  arduous  duties,  have  continued 
to  exercise  their  respective  offices  with  the  accustomed 
fidelity  and  with  those  higher  qualifications  and  capaci- 
ties for  usefulness,  which  opportunities  for  enlarged 
observation  and  experience  could  not  fail  to  impart. 
As  a  natural  consequence  there  has  been  harmony, 
mutual  confidence,  and  earnest  co-operation. 

For  circumstances  so  satisfactory  in  the  past  and  so 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  33 

auspicious  for  the  future  the  Institution  is  indebted  to 
the  wisdom,  sagacity,  broad-mindedness,  and  kind  de- 
meanor of  that  truly  great  and  good  man,  who  first 
gave  order  and  direction  to  the  management  of  its  con- 
cerns, and  proportion  and  symmetry  to  a  system  of  edu- 
cation for  the  blind,  thus  raising  the  standard  of  their 
social  and  moral  condition,  and  building  for  himself  a 
noble  monument,  which  is  fairer  and  more  enduring 
than  granite  or  bronze. 

Sanitary  Condition. 

It  is  a  great  privilege  to  be  able  to  report  that  an- 
other year  has  passed  without  the  occui'rence  of  a  single 
death  in  the  Institution  itself;  yet  we  are  called  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  a  much  loved  and  most  interesting 
pupil,  Herbert  E.  Goodwin  of  Detroit,  Me.,  who  died 
at  his  home  on  the  28th  of  August  last  after  a  short 
illness.  He  was  a  young  man  of  uncommon  mental 
abilities,  excellent  character,  cheerful  disposition,  and 
great  promise,  and  his  death  is  profoundly  felt  and 
deeply  lamented  by  every  member  of  our  house- 
hold. 

Two  cases  of  serious  illness  have  occurred  during  the 
year,  one  of  typhoid  and  the  other  of  lung  fever.  Both 
patients  were  speedily  removed  to  the  Massachusetts 
General  Hospital^  where  they  received  the  best  of  medi- 
cal care  and  nursing,  and  were  restored  to  health.  The 
measles  broke  out  among  the  inmates  near  the  close  of 
the  school  term,  attacking  nine;  but  the  disease  was 
of  a  light  character,  and  caused  us  no  anxiety  as  to  its 
effects.  With  these  exceptions,  the  general  health  of 
the  household  has  been  very  good,  and  the  few  ailments 


34  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

which   have    called   for    medical    treatment  have   been 
easily  controlled. 

It  is  certainly  remarkable  that  a  large  community  of 
childi'en  and  youth,  many  of  them  vrith  constitutions 
either  originally  defective  or  shaken  by  the  disease  that 
has  destroyed  the  visual  organs,  should  pass  through 
entii-e  years  with  so  little  sickness  and  no  death.  But 
regularity  of  livmg,  wholesomeness  of  diet,  proper 
regard  to  personal  habits,  moderate  yet  systematic  occu- 
pation, and  prompt  attention  to  any  indisposition,  to- 
gether with  fresh  aii-  and  regular  hours  of  exercise  and 
rest,  serve  in  many  cases  to  mitigate  or  remove  all 
tendencies  to  disease,  and  conduce  to  the  good  measui-e 
of  health  which  our  pupils  enjoy,  and  to  their  success 
in  all  theii-  pursuits.  For  a  child  learns  well  when 
he  eats,  digests,  sleeps,  and  plays  well.  The  breathing 
of  fresh  and  pure  air  is  a  special  necessity.  It  tends 
to  invigorate  the  body  and  strengthen  the  mind.  It 
brightens  the  intellect  and  stimulates  energy.  It  tran- 
quillizes the  temper,  softens  the  disposition,  mollifies 
the  passions,  and  contributes  to  the  expansion  of  the 
understanding.  Sharpness  of  attention,  clearness  of 
apprehension,  and  readiness  of  memory,  are  aU  pro- 
moted by  it. 

The  dietary  of  the  Institution  is  ample,  wholesome 
and  sufficiently  varied  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  sys- 
tem, and  sustam  a  high  degree  of  muscular  vigor  and 
physical  health. 

Daily  exercise,  in  the  open  air  or  under  shelter,  at 
suitable  intervals  and  for  a  proper  length  of  time,  is 
one  of  the  requirements  of  the  school,  and  no  one   is 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  35 

allowed  to  omit  this  more  than  any  other  of  the  pre- 
scribed duties  of  the  course. 

Habits  of  order  and  of  personal  neatness  are  enjoined 
upon  all  our  pupils,  and  none  of  them  is  permitted  to 
enter  upon  his  daily  duties  without  having  first  paid  the 
necessary  attention  to  cleanliness  and  tidiness. 

Kequirements  for  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

The  importance  of  special  schools  for  the  education 
and  training  of  the  blind  has  been  recognized  by  all 
civilized  communities  during  the  last  century,  and  pro- 
visions for  their  establishment  and  maintenance  made  in 
Europe  and  in  this  country.  It  is  evident  to  any  think- 
ing mind  that  such  institutions  are  indispensable  for 
enabling  those  bereft  of  the  sense  of  sight  to  use  all  their 
faculties  to  the  greatest  advantage  of  themselves  and 
others,  to  equalize  the  social  standard,  to  alleviate  misfor- 
tune, to  enlarge  the  sources  of  production  and  strengthen 
the  industrial  ranks,  to  secure  individual  independence 
and  domestic  happiness,  and  to  prevent  the  mcrease  of 
pauperism  and  degradation.  But,  in  order  that  they  may 
fulfil  their  purpose  they  must  be  so  organized  as  not  to 
sacrifice  the  substance  to  mere  show,  and  their  adminis- 
tration must  be  conducted  upon  such  sound  principles 
as  to  render  them  exhaustless  sources  of  light  to  those 
whom  they  are  intended  to  benefit.  Fine  buildings,  expen- 
sive furniture  and  beautiful  grounds  and  groves  alone  do 
not  make  a  great  institution.  These  of  themselves  are 
hardly  sufficient  to  render  an  establishment  of  this  kind 
a  beneficent  agency,  dispelling,  like  a  bright  sun,  intel- 
lectual and  moral  darkness,  and  sending  cheerfulness 
and  joy  into  the  dwellings  of  man.     The  true  test  of 


36  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  power  of  such  an  institution  for  usefulness  and  of 
the  real  influence  it  exercises,  is  the  completeness  of  the 
means  for  carrying  out  its  work  successfully. 

The  attainments  specially  required  for  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  condition  of  the  blmd  and  for  their  elevation 
in  the  social  scale,  may  be  summarized  as  follows  :  — 

First,  A  full  development  of  the  intellectual  faculties, 
together  with  a  systematic  discipline  of  the  mental 
powers  and  capacities. 

Second,  A  thorough  cultivation  and  refinement  of  the 
moral  and  aesthetic  nature. 

Third,  A  general  improvement  of  the  physical  con- 
dition, so  that  the  body  may  be  rendered  strong  and 
healthful,  a  pleasant  and  elegant  dwelling-place  for  the 
mind,  as  well  as  a  perfect  medium  for  its  communica- 
tion with  the  external  world. 

Fourth,  A  careful  and  efficient  training  in  suitable 
professions  and  profitable  mechanic  arts  and  industrial 
occupations,  and  a  fair  chance  to  earn  a  reasonable  liv- 
ing and  maintain  a  decent  independence. 

Fifth,  A  participation  in  the  organic  life  of  society  to 
the  largest  practical  extent,  so  that  its  culture,  its  cour- 
tesies, its  rewards,  and  its  human  impulses  may  operate 
to  make  them  conscious  of  the  grand  fact  of  individuali- 
ty which  is  so  weighty  in  character,  and  to  produce  a 
more  perfect  manhood. 

This  Institution  has  ever  striven  to  render  its  instruc- 
tion and  training  so  efficient,  that  its  pupils  shall  be 
qualified  to  enter  the  practical  walks  of  life.  It  has 
spared  no  means  to  \ievelop  and  strengthen  in  them 
those  powers  from  which  is  derived  the  true  dignity  of 
man,   and   to   prepare   them  for  becoming  useful  and 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  3T 

happy  members  of  society.  To  compass  this  end,  many 
agencies  are  requisite,  and  none  is  more  important  than 
a  division  of  work,  based  upon  sound  principles,  and 
conscientiously  carried  out  in  every  department  and  in 
every  detail. 

Literary  Department. 

The  condition  of  this  department  may  be  fairly  pro- 
nounced very  gratifying  to  all  who  are  interested  in  the 
intellectual  advancement  of  the  blind. 

The  progress  made  by  the  pupils  of  the  various 
classes  has  been  in  every  way  commendable,  and  attests 
their  diligence  and  intelligence,  as  well  as  the  zeal  and 
fidelity  of  their  instructors,  and  the  efficacy  of  the 
course  pursued  and  of  the  processes  and  methods  em- 
ployed. 

The  exercises  of  study  and  recitation  are  not  only 
useful  as  disciplinary  agencies,  but  are  also  the  best 
auxiliaries  in  the  acquisition  of  the  ability  to  think  and 
act  efficiently  in  any  sphere  of  life. 

Pains  have  been  taken  to  give  the  pupils  clear  and 
correct  instruction  with  careful  explanations  of  words 
and  principles,  so  that  they  might  understand  and  know 
what  they  were  studying. 

Whatever  has  been  undertaken  has  been  learned  as 
thoroughly  as  possible,  and  the  fact  that  a  defective 
acquisition  of  knowledge  educates  neither  in  form  nor 
in  substance  has  been  constantly  kept  in  view. 

For  the  successful  prosecution  of  our  peculiar  work 
industry,  patience,  perseverance,  ingenuity,  and  skill  are 
eminently  necessary,  and  all  the  human  virtues  can  find 
room  for  active  exercise  ;  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in 
acknowledging  that  our  instructors  have  not  been  found 


38  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.         [Oct. 

wanting  in  any  of  those  qualities  of  head  or  heart 
which  are  essential  to  render  theh  services  efficient  and 
valuable.  To  establish  or  confirm  habits  of  study, 
industry,  application,  order,  punctuahty,  neatness,  and 
steady  and  cheerful  attention  to  duty  in  every  form,  and 
to  improve  the  condition  of  thek  pupils  in  aU  respects, 
has  been  theh  most  earnest  endeavor  and  unceasing 
effort. 

Classification  and  Course  of  Study. 

The  pupils  are  distributed  with  a  careful  reference  to 
theh  actual  state  of  progress  and  theh  ability  to  ad- 
vance together,  into  eleven  classes,  the  largest  of  which 
contains  seven  and  the  smallest  sixteen  pupils.  Expe- 
rience has  shown  that  fifteen  blind  childi-en  are  about 
as  many  as  can  be  taught  together  with  advantage. 

Our  classes  are  so  arranged  as  to  promote  uniformity 
of  method  and  efficiency  in  general,  and  at  the  same 
time  ofi"er  a  powerful  incentive  to  study  and  good  con- 
duct m  our  pupils.  The  course  of  instruction  has  been 
carefully  revised  and  sufficiently  enlarged  to  secure  a 
thorough  and  broad  mental  development.  The  branches 
therein  embraced  do  not  difi'er  essentially  from  those 
taught  in  the  public  schools  and  private  academies,  and 
may  be  summarized  as  follows :  — 

Reading  in  various  raised  characters,  spelling,  writ- 
ing with  a  lead  pencil  in  the  square  hand  and  in 
Braille's  point  system,  geography  (civil  and  physical), 
arithmetic  (mental  and  with  type  boards),  algebra, 
geometry,  history  (ancient,  medieeval,  and  modern,  spe- 
cial attention  being  paid  to  that  of  the  United  States), 
grammar,  rhetoric,  composition,  the  English   language 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  89- 

and  literature,  civil  government,  natural  history,  physics, 
anatomy  and  physiology,  mental  philosophy,  and  Latin. 

An  unnecessary  increase  of  the  number  of  studies  for 
each  class  has  been  avoided,  as  their  multiphcation  leads 
to  superficial  knowledge  rather  than  to  the  harmonious 
development  of  the  intellectual  faculties.  True,  Pliny 
has  aptly  said,  that,  "  as  the  land  is  improved  by  sowing 
it  with  various  seeds,  so  is  the  mind  by  exercising  it  with 
various  studies ; "  but  the  force  of  his  words  can  be 
maintained  only  when  their  application  is  not  carried 
beyond  the  limits  of  reason.  When  the  soil  is  crowded 
with  seeds  the  result  is  shown  in  plants  of  a  sickly  and 
distorted  growth. 

But,  however  well  arranged  and  complete  a  course 
of  study  may  be,  its  real  value  consists  in  the  degree  of 
healthful  growth  and  discipline  which  it  gives  to  the 
mind  of  the  student.  The  words  of  Contillac  on  this 
subject  are  full  of  significance,  and  ought  to  be  inscribed 
in  every  schoolhouse  and  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  every 
educator :  "  It  is  neither  geography,  history,  nor  Latin," 
says  he,  "  which  we  are  to  teach  children.  The  first 
thing  to  be  kept  in  view  is  to  give  to  the  mind  the  exer- 
cise of  all  its  faculties." 

In  addition  to  the  regular  instruction  given  in  the 
school,  the  usual  evening  reading  by  the  teachers  and 
officers  has  continued  as  heretofore,  and  great  care  has 
been  exercised  in  the  selection  of  books,  periodicals,  and 
newspapers  to  be  read  aloud  to  the  pupils.  Highly- 
colored  and  highly-flavored  fiction  has  been,  as  usual, 
carefully  excluded.  No  descriptions  of  elopements  and 
murders,  nor  tales  of  love-making  and  of  hah-breadth 
escapes,  have  been  allowed  to  be  read  in  our  school,  to 


40  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

pervert  the  imagination  and  corrupt  the  hearts  of  pure 
and  innocent  childi-en.  We  bear  constantly  in  mind  the 
fact  that  it  behooves  us  as  guardians  of  our  pupils  to  look 
well  to  then-  reading,  and  provide  them  with  wholesome 
intellectual  food.  Men  do  not  gather  figs  of  thistles, 
nor  can  we  expect  a  well-ordered  life  to  come  after  a 
youth  which  is  familiarized  in  imagination  with  vice  and 
blood,  violence  and  crime.  The  best  means  to  prevent 
children  from  acquhing  a  taste  for  sensational  reading 
and  vicious  publications  is  to  furnish  them  with  pure  and 
nutritious  mental  aliment.  To  a  mature  mind  reality  is 
more  attractive  than  fiction,  and  the  simplicity  of  truth 
more  wonderful  than  the  complications  of  fancy. 

Modes  of  Instruction  and  Training. 

The  methods  of  teaching  and  training  employed  in 
this  Institution  are  such  as  are  well  adapted  for  the  com- 
munication of  knowledge  to  the  pupils'  minds  in  the  sim- 
plest and  most  practical  way.  By  a  skilful  combination 
of  oral  instruction  and  tangible  illustration,  and  by  the 
agency  of  embossed  books,  they  are  enabled  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  mtellectual  and  moral  as  well  as 
with  the  material  world. 

Rousseau  recommends  that  man  should  be  treated  as 
an  organism,  and  that  education  should  be  a  development 
of  all  his  faculties.  In  his  battles  against  the  prejudices 
of  society  and  the  dogmas  of  authority  his  watchwords 
were  nature,  reason,  individuality.  These  simple  words 
are  replete  with  wisdom  and  scientific  truth.  The  prin- 
ciples therein  involved  are  so  comprehensive  as  to  form 
a  solid  basis  for  a  broad  and  complete  system  of  instruc- 
tion, and  ought  not  only  to  lie    at  the  foundation  of  all 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  41 

efforts  for  the  mental  improvement  and  the  amelioration 
of  the  general  condition  of  the  blind,  but  to  be  the 
guides  of  those  who  are  struggling  bravely  for  the  intro- 
duction of  reforms  in  the  domain  of  indolent  conserva- 
tism, and  for  the  liberation  of  suffering  humanity  from 
the  despotism  of  pedantic  empiricism  and  the  caprices 
of  ignorance. 

The  main  aim  and  end  of  all  the  methods  and  illus- 
trative appliances  adopted  in  our  school"  is  not  to  fill  the 
mind  of  the  pupils  with  knowledge  of  various  kinds, 
but  to  develop  the  human  being  from  within  outward  ; 
to  give  primary  importance  to  the  perceptive,  conceptive, 
and  reflective  faculties,  and  to  foster  self-activity,  which 
is  an  essential  condition  of  progress. 

Moreover,  clearness  of  thought,  accuracy  in  acquisi- 
tion, precision  of  expression,  distinctness  of  articulation, 
correctness  of  intonation,  and  ease  and  grace  of  deport- 
ment, are  all  considered  necessary  elements  in  a  thor- 
ough system  of  education,  and  receive  careful  attention 
in  our  school.  The  pupils  are  generally  trained  to 
make  a  simple,  fluent,  correct  and  concise  statement 
upon  any  subject  with  which  they  are  supposed  to  be 
familiar.  In  the  primary  classes  every  effort  is  made  to 
avoid  a  kind  of  logical  drill  which  belongs  to  the  later 
period  of  school  life.  To  teach  beginners  to  under- 
stand the  philosophy  of  every  step  is  very  injurious.  It 
is  grasping  at  the  shadow  and  losing  the  substance. 

Individual  traits  in  the  pupils  are  carefully  consid- 
ered, and  the  importance  of  drawing  out  the  mind 
according  to  its  natural  bent,  rather  than  stuffing  it 
and  moulding  it  after  a  preconceived  pattern,  is  steadily 
kept  in  view.     As   a  general  rule,  our  teachers  lead 


42  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

instead  of  driving,  encourage  originality  of  thought  and 
method  instead  of  requiring  the  exact  language  and  the 
forms  of  the  book,  and  are  enjoined  always  to  ask  with 
Montaigne,  not  who  know  the  most,  but  who  are  the 
best  taught  among  the  scholars. 

Discipline  of  the  School. 

The  discipline  of  the  school  has  been,  as  heretofore, 
mild  and  entii'ely  free  from  sternness  or  any  kind  of 
severity.  Moral  suasion  with  gentle  lii-mness  and  strict- 
ness constitutes  its  main  features.  Punctuality  and  reg- 
ularity have  been  enforced  without  relaxation,  and  the 
pupils  have  been  taught  to  conquer  and  suppress  mere 
self-will  and  inclination  to  stubbornness,  and  to  conduct 
themselves  with  propriety  and  decorum.  Self-control, 
which  undoubtedly  forms  the  basis  of  all  moral  virtues, 
is  considered  as  an  essential  element  in  the  progress 
and  success  of  our  school.  Goethe  has  aptly  said  that 
"  the  best  government  is  that  which  teaches  us  to  gov- 
ern ourselves  ;  "  and  these  words  are  the  essence  of  our 
system  of  discipline. 

That  the  passions  of  childhood  and  youth  should  be 
restrained,  then*  motives  elevated  and  refined,  their 
hopes  regulated  and  their  fears  assuaged,  no  one  de- 
nies :  but  this  cannot  be  done  by  the  parade  of  harsh 
rules  or  mere  precepts,  or  by  dogmatic  commands.  It 
must  be  accomplished  by  reasonable  requirements  in 
regard  to  obedience  and  submission,  by  the  teachings 
of  wisdom  and  experience,  by  the  exercise  of  patience 
and  fortitude,  and  by  examples  of  self-denial  and  devo- 
tion to  duty. 

For  an  enforcement  of  an  efficient  system  of  disci- 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  43 

pline,  our  school,  with  its  organic  growth  into  good 
habits  and  moral  purpose,  its  healthy  social  life,  its 
amusements  and  its  cheerfulness,  needs  no  assistance 
from  an  inorganic  rectilinear  order  of  rules  and  com- 
mandments, by  which  children  are  led  to  so-called  good 
behavior  at  the  expense  of  strength  and  happiness. 
Earnest  instruction  and  interesting  illustrations  are  fol- 
lowed by  peace  and  good  order  as  naturally  as  physical 
health  and  bodily  strength  are  the  outcome  of  vigorous 
nutrition  and  perfect  digestion ;  and  to  these  our  teach- 
ers pay  special  attention. 

Illustrative  Apparatus  and  Embossed  Books. 

In  order  to  direct  the  cultivation  of  the  intellect 
properly  and  in  a  scientific  manner,  and  to  avoid  what- 
ever hinders  the  process  of  normal  development,  it  is 
necessary  to  understand  its  nature,  its  operations  and 
the  mode  of  its  growth  from  childhood  to  mature  age. 

The  human  mind  acts,  as  it  were,  by  a  number 
of  separate  faculties.  It  appears  to  possess  distinct 
powers.  Nevertheless  it  is  a  unit.  Its  faculties  or 
powers  are  without  doubt  intimately  associated.  They 
are  the  ministers  of  a  supreme  sovereign.  Conscious- 
ness, sense-perception,  conception,  association,  memory, 
imagination,  comparison,  abstraction,  generalization, 
judgment  and  reason,  all  are  functions  of  a  single 
agent,  and  depend  du'ectly  or  indirectly  upon  some 
rudimental  process  :  but  they  are  functions  distinct  both 
in  then*  mode  of  operation  and  in  the  objects  upon 
which  they  are  exercised.  Hence,  all  efforts  for  the 
systematic  and  harmonious  development  of  the  intellect 
should  be  guided  by  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  its  facul- 


44  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

ties  and  of  theii*  respective  spheres  of  action.  Each 
of  these  faculties  should  receive  due  attention,  but 
those  of  perception  and  conception  should  be  fii'st 
appealed  to  in  education.  The  latter  especially  re- 
quires the  most  careful  cultivation  in  childhood  and 
youth,  since  it  alone  enables  the  mind  to  store  up  the 
materials  of  knowledge  and  thought  in  its  wonderful 
and  mysterious  depository.  This  faculty  retains  past 
perceptions,  out  of  w^hich  it  produces  its  subsequent 
creations,  whether  these  are  the  fantastic  pictures  of 
fancy,  the  more  regular  combinations  of  the  imagination, 
or  the  sequences  of  ratiocination.  Isaac  Taylor  says, 
"  Nature  has  allowed  an  absolute  predominance  to  the 
conceptive  faculty  during  the  season  of  infancy,  and 
has  granted  it  a  principal  share  in  the  mental  economy 
during  the  succeeding  years  of  childhood ;  "  and  Currie 
remarks  more  explicitly,  that  "'a  rich  and  ready  con- 
ception is  the  soil  out  of  which  grows  a  sound  judgment. 
The  cause  of  error  in  our  judgments  lies  as  frequently 
in  the  lack  of  materials  on  which  to  base  them  as  in 
the  w^ant  of  powxr  to  compare  them  when  requu'ed." 
Unless  the  activity  of  this  faculty  is  fostered  in  child- 
hood by  being  supplied  with  abundant  food  from  exter- 
nal sources,  the  intellect  shrivels,  its  vitality  dies  out 
for  want  of  exercise,  and  torpor  takes  the  place  of  elas- 
ticity and  vigorous  life. 

In  view  of  these  guiding  principles  our  system  of 
instruction  is  so  organized  as  to  attain  a  progressive 
development  of  the  mental  functions  of  the  pupils,  and 
to  foster  in  them  habits  of  attention,  observation,  reflec- 
tion, expression,  ready  exercise  of  their  intellectual 
faculties,  and  thorough  manual  skill.     To  this   end  a 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  45 

great  variety  of  sensible  objects  from  the  animal  and 
vegetable  kingdoms,  of  tangible  representations  of  the 
wonderful  creations  of  nature,  and  models  of  the  works 
of  art  and  products  of  ingenuity,  of  illustrative  appara- 
tus for  the  several  branches  of  study,  and  of  embossed 
books  of  all  kinds,  are  indispensable.  Without  these 
aids,  the  instruction  of  the  blind  is  not  only  abstract 
and  inefficient,  but  tends  to  intensify  some  of  the  ab- 
normal effects  arising  from  the  loss  of  sight. 

During  the  past  year  a  human  skeleton  and  a  com- 
plete set  of  Bock-Steger's  models  for  the  study  of  anat- 
omy and  physiology  have  been  added  to  our  collection 
and  advantageously  used  by  our  pupils.  A  set  of  the 
kindergarten  gifts,  with  the  exception  of  those  which 
are  specially  adapted  to  the  sense  of  sight,  and  a  new 
set  of  philosophical  apparatus,  like  that  used  in  the 
public  schools  of  Boston,  have  also  been  procured. 

The  facilities  which  this  Institution  affords  for  the 
study  of  geography  have  been  greatly  increased  during 
the  past  year.  Two  new  globes  in  relief  have  been 
purchased,  and  four  complete  sets,  two  of  dissected  and 
the  others  of  wall  maps,  have  been  constructed  by  our 
own  special  workman.  Thus  our  present  supply  of 
geographical  apparatus  consists  of  six  globes  of  various 
sizes,  and  of  fifty-two  large  maps,  twenty-two  of  which 
are  dissected.  To  these  may  be  added  a  large  number 
of  small  maps  used  for  class  work.  Special  attention 
has  been  given  to  the  construction  of  the  new  maps, 
and  they  are  considered  in  point  of  workmanship,  accu- 
racy and  distinctness  of  outline,  durability  and  beauty 
far  superior  to  all  thus  far  made  in  Europe  or  in  this 
country.     At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of 


46  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Instruction  held  at  the  White  Mountains  last  July,  the 
dissected  maps  were  highly  commended  by  eminent 
educators,  and  several  among  them  are  earnestly  endea- 
voring to  introduce  these  maps  into  the  public  schools 
of  Boston.  Samples  have  been  placed  by  request  in 
several  offices  for  the  inspection  and  examination  of 
school  boards  and  instructors. 

During  the  past  year  four  volumes  have  been  added 
to  our  list  of  embossed  books^  and  a  new  edition  of 
Milton's  poetical  works  is  in  press. 

Music  Department. 

The  "department  of  music  continues  to  perform  its 
important  part  in  our  system  of  education,  both  as  an 
essential  element  of  mental  development  and  culture, 
and  as  a  powerful  agent  in  training  up  the  young  to 
usefulness  and  independence. 

The  usual  routine  of  study  and  practice  has  been 
pursued  with  regularity  and  earnestness,  and  the  results 
have  been  as  satisfactory  as  those  in  any  former  year. 

No  endeavors  have  been  spared  to  increase  the  inter- 
nal means  and  facilities  for  a  broad  and  thorough  musi- 
cal education,  and  to  render  the  department  complete 
in  all  its  appointments. 

During  the  past  year  two  full  concert  grand  pianos 
and  an  upright  have  been  added  to  our  collection  of 
musical  instruments ;  and  several  old  ones  have  been 
repaired  and  put  in  good  order. 

Our  course  of  instruction  is  methodically  arranged, 
and  every  opportunity  consistent  with  our  means  afford- 
ed for  the  thorough  study  of  music  as  a  science  and  its 
practice  as  an  art. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  47 

The  number  of  pupils  who  received  instruction  in 
music  during  the  past  year  was  eighty-five,  and  the 
branches  taught  may  be  summarized  as  follows  :  Piano- 
forte ;  the  parlor  and  church  organ ;  solo  and  class  sing- 
ing ;  the  flute,  clarinet,  cornet  and  other  brass  instru- 
ments ;  harmony  ;  the  history  of  music  and  pedagogics. 

Our  corps  of  mstructors  consists  of  five  resident 
teachers  and  one  assistant,  —  all  former  pupils  of  the 
school ;  —  three  non-resident  professors,  and  three  music 
readers. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  term  nine  pupils  graduated 
from  the  music  department,  some  of  whom  were  also  well 
qualified  as  tuners  of  piano-fortes.  The  success  of  all 
in  the  practical  walks  of  life  will  depend  upon  theii* 
ability  to  turn  their  knowledge  and  skill  here  acquired 
to  useful  account,  and  upon  thek  exertions  to  secure 
their  full  share  of  the  public  patronage. 

Of  the  three  classes  in  harmony  one  completed  that 
study,  in  which  the  extracts  from  Richter's  manual 
copied  the  preceding  year  in  Braille's  system  of  musical 
notation  rendered  great  service.  The  study  of  har- 
mony, even  in  an  elementary  course,  is  of  special  advan- 
tage to  the  formal  training  of  the  pupils.  It  opens  to 
them  an  entirely  new  view  of  music,  and  gives  them  a 
systematic  knowledge  of  its  grammar  as  well  as  of  the 
nature  of  its  sounds.  Exercises  in  tones  train  alike  the 
understanding,  the  memory  and  the  aesthetic  faculties. 
In  learning  the  variations  of  musical  tones,  the  pupils 
must,  fii-stly,  consider  them  with  reference  to  their 
melodic,  rhythmical,  dynamic,  and  harmonic  character ; 
and  secondly,  with  reference  to  then*  inner  or  aesthetic 
nature,  through   which   they   exemplify  the  beautiful. 


48  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  former  of  these  two  processes  is  accomphshed  by 
the  musical  faculties,  the  latter  by  the  fancy  and  by  the 
sense  of  beauty.  Hence  harmony  forms  the  foundation 
upon  which  a  scientific  musical  knowledge  is  reared ; 
and  the  deeper  and  broader  the  basis,  the  higher  will 
the  structure  rise. 

Embossed  books  on  the  subjects  of  counter-point, 
fugue,  composition  and  the  history  of  music,  are  becom- 
ing great  desiderata.  These  studies  have  undoubtedly 
been  mastered  by  blind  students  without  the  aid  of  such 
books,  but  at  a  great  disadvantage  and  with  the  loss  of 
much  valuable  time. 

Most  of  our  scholars  receive  instruction  in  several 
branches  of  music,  and  at  the  same  time  are  carefully 
trained  in  the  methods  of  imparting  their  knowledge 
to  others  with  equal  success.  The  plan  of  placing  the 
younger  pupils  under  the  charge  of  some  of  the  more 
advanced  ones  continues  to  be  attended  with  most  bene- 
ficial consequences.  It  gradually  familiarizes  them  with 
the  habit  of  teaching,  and  prepares  them  to  leave  the 
Institution  with  some  practical  experience  in  their  pro- 
fession. 

The  efficiency  of  the  band  is  somewhat  impaired  by 
the  retii-ement  of  several  of  its  leading  members,  whose 
term  of  instruction  had  expu-ed ;  but  their  places  are 
filled  from  among  the  younger  members  of  the  depart- 
ment, and  the  remodelled  group  will  soon  be  in  good 
practice  and  in  fak  condition  for  public  performances. 

All  pupils  have  a  fail'  trial  in  music  and  devote  some 
time  each  day  to  its  study  and  practice :  but  only  those 
who  show  special  talent  and  possess  such  general  men- 
tal ability  as  is  essential  for  the  attainment  of  excellence 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  49 

in  any  art  devote  as  much  time  to  it  as  can  profitably 
be  employed. 

In  the  selection  of  music  great  care  is  exercised,  and 
the  sensuous  trash,  which  \ailgarizes  the  art  and  cor- 
rupts the  popular  taste,  is  excluded  from  our  school. 
Compositions  of  an  acknowledged  excellence  alone 
are  recommended  to  the  pupils.  It  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  however,  that,  unless  the  intellect  and  the  senti- 
ments are  fully  cultivated  and  the  feelings  awakened 
and  refined,  the  acquisition  of  an  ardent  fondness  for 
classic  music  and  of  taste  and  skill  for  playing  it  well 
is  hardly  possible.  Those  and  only  those  who  are  well 
developed  mentally,  and  have  a  sufficient  foundation  of 
knowledge  and  practice,  can  study  advantageously  the 
works  of  the  great  masters. 

Such  is  in  brief  the  nature  of  the  work  pursued  in 
our  music  department,  and  such  are  the  internal  means 
and  facilities  afforded  by  this  Institution  to  make  thor- 
ough musicians  and  good  teachers  of  those  of  its  benefi- 
ciaries who  possess  the  requisite  talent  and  ability. 

External  opportunities  for  the  cultivation  and  refine- 
ment of  the  musical  taste  of  the  pupils  by  attendance 
upon  performances  of  various  kinds  and  hearing  great 
compositions  interpreted  by  eminent  artists,  have  been 
on  the  increase  during  the  past  year.  Nor  has  the 
interest  or  the  ready  and  active  sympathy  of  most  of 
the  distinguished  musicians  of  our  city  diminished.  On 
the  contrary,  a  brilliant  array  of  talented  artists,  whose 
names,  together  with  those  of  other  generous  bene- 
factors, will  be  hereafter  mentioned  in  the  list  of  ac- 
knowledgments, have  given  in  the  hall  of  the  Institu- 
tion a  series  of  entertainments,  which  delighted  all  who 

7 


50  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

had  the  privilege  of  hearing  them,  and  added  much  to 
the  happiness  and  instruction  of  our  pupils.  Our  sincere 
and  heartfelt  thanks  are  due  to  them,  as  well  as  to  the 
societies,  proprietors,  performers  and  managers,  who 
have  been  so  kind  and  so  liberal  as  to  allow  our  students 
of  music  to  attend  gratuitously  most  of  the  best  concerts, 
rehearsals,  operas,  oratorios,  and  the  like,  given  in  the 
city  of  Boston.  The  significance  of  these  opportunities 
can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  They  are  extremely  valu- 
able to  the  blind  of  New  England  in  many  ways.  They 
afford  the  best  means  for  the  education  and  refinement 
of  the  musical  taste.  They  contribute  largely  to  the 
aesthetic  culture,  stimulate  the  powers  of  appreciation, 
and  lay  the  foundation  of  sound  analytical  criticism. 
Finally,  they  introduce  our  pupils  into  those  peaceful 
and  harmonious  gatherings  of  the  people,  where  the 
storm  of  antagonisms  and  the  violence  of  human  pas- 
sions are  calmed  down  by  the  sound  of  music,  and  all 
enmity  and  acrimony  of  feeling  are  softened  mto  kind- 
ness and  good  will. 

The  salutary  effect  of  music  on  the  mind  and  heart 
of  youth  has  been  an  axiom  in  education  since  the  days 
of  Lycurgus :  and  if  our  system  of  instruction  and 
training  aims  at  develoj)ing  the  character  and  the  mtel- 
lect  of  our  pupils  in  strength  and  completeness,  and  at 
lifting  their  occupations  and  then-  lives  to  a  higher 
range,  the  study  of  music  as  an  art  and  as  a  science  must 
form  one  of  its  most  promment  branches. 

Music  is  unquestionably  the  most  emotional  of  the 
arts,  as  well  as  one  of  those  intellectual  endowments  by 
means  of  which  man  is  to  become  conscious  of  himself 
and  of  his  mental  life.     According  to  Klopstock,  it  is 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  51 

the  most  joyous  of  joys.  It  lifts  the  mind  to  a  sense  of 
grandeur  and  sublimity,  or  tranquillizes  it  through  its 
softenmg  influence.  Its  magnetic  power  draws  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  for  a  time  away  from  selfish 
interests  and  fixes  them  on  higher  objects  of  contem- 
plation. It  suggests  noble  aims,  lofty  resolves,  brave 
deeds.  It  develops  the  love  of  beauty,  refines  the  feel- 
ings, and  gives  to  character  and  life  a  new  possibility  of 
strength  and  sweetness.  Dr.  Karl  Kosenkrantz  thus 
describes  the  power  of  the  art :  "  Music  by  its  rhythm 
and  time  imbues  the  feelings  wdth  a  regular  harmony. 
So  highly  did  the  Greeks  value  music,  and  in  so  many 
ways  did  they  practise  it,  that  their  expression  '  a  musi- 
cal man '  was  equivalent  to  ours  of  '  a  cultivated  man.' 
They  therefore  bestowed  the  extremest  care  upon  this 
study  which  was  designed  to  unite  in  a  beautiful 
habitude  readiness,  openness,  circumspection,  and  a 
most  powerful  mental  discipline."  Another  eminent 
writer  says,  that  "  humanity  itself  can  find  only  in 
music  a  sufficient  mode  of  expression ; "  and  Nageli 
completes  the  climax  by  stating,  that  "  music  is  a 
means  of  culture  so  healthful  for  sense  and  soul,  so 
powerfully  promotive  of  virtue  and  godliness,  that  we 
are  bound  to  train  our  youth  in  it  with  conscientious- 
ness and  dignity,  zeal  and  perseverance." 

But,  if  music  is  so  valuable  an  adjunct  in  the  educa- 
tion of  youth  possessed  of  all  their  senses,  to  that  of 
the  sightless  it  is,  in  view  of  its  social,  aesthetic  and 
economic  bearings,  indispensable. 

I  deem  it  hardly  necessary  to  dwell  iipon  the  subject 
of  the  passionate  fondness  for  music  shown  by  the  blind 
throughout  all  ages.     The  sculptured  granite  of  Egyp- 


52  INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

tian  tablets  no  less  than  the  imperishable  record  of  the 
Grecian  bard  attest  their  devotion  to  the  "  concord  of 
sweet  sounds."  Their  aptness  for  music  is  universally 
admitted,  and  can  be  easily  explained. 

In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  the  visual  sense,  an 
unusual  amount  of  exercise  is  required  from  that  of 
hearing,  whereby  the  sphere  of  its  acquired  percep- 
tions is  greatly  enlarged  and  its  usefulness  enhanced. 
Hence  the  intellectual  susceptibilities  of  this  sense 
are  so  cultivated  by  practice  and  education,  and  its 
discriminating  power  is  so  increased,  that  it  becomes  an 
efficient  medium  for  the  acquisition  of  objective  knowl- 
edge and  an  exhaustless  source  of  pleasure  and  enjoy- 
ment. The  world  of  sound  with  its  endless  changes 
and  modulations  is  to  the  blind  what  the  scenes  of  ex- 
ternal nature  with  all  its  pleasing  varieties  of  form 
and  color  and  its  numberless  combinations  and  beauti- 
ful blendings  of  light  and  shade  are  to  those  who  are 
permitted  to  look  upon  them.  In  the  infinite  variety 
of  warbling  melody  and  the  rich  and  boundless  fields 
of  harmony  the  sightless  man  finds  not  only  recreation, 
solace  and  compensation  for  the  loss  of  the  joys  of  sight, 
but  ample  means  for  the  cultivation  of  the  aesthetic  faculty 
and  the  development  of  the  inner  sense,  —  a  discrimi- 
native consciousness  of  the  beautiful  in  thought  and 
action,  —  which  is  weU  illustrated  by  the  foUowiug 
lines :  — 

"  The  rill  is  tuneless  to  his  ear,  who  feels 
No  harmou}'  within  ;  the  south  wind  steals 
As  silent  as  unseen  among  the  leaves. 
Who  has  no  inward  beauty,  none  perceives 


1878.]  PUBLIC  D0CUME:^T  — No.  27.  63 

Though  all  around  is  beautiful.     Nay  more, 

In  nature's  calmest  hour,  he  hears  the  roar 

Of  winds  and  flinging  waves  ;  —  puts  out  the  light 

When  high  and  angry  passions  meet  in  fight." 

But,  in  addition  to  its  aesthetic  effects,  there  are 
other  advantages  of  a  practical  character  which  render 
proficiency  in  music  of  vital  importance  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  blind.  The  loss  of  sight  is  less  of  an 
obstruction  and  an  obstacle  in  this  vocation  than  in  any 
of  the  mechanical  occupations.  Here  the  technical 
difficulties  may  be  easily  overcome  and  the  sightless 
student  may  attain  excellence  as  a  teacher.  Here  the 
hand  may  perform  its  task  without  the  assistance  of 
sight  and  the  streams  of  harmony  penetrate  the  inner 
chambers  of  the  ear  without  the  aid  of  the  eye.  A 
wide  field  of  great  usefulness  is  thus  opened  to  those 
who  are  endowed  with  marked  ability  and  talent,  and 
a  source  of  available  means  for  self-maintenance  pro- 
vided for  all  who  are  not  wanting  in  capacity,  perse- 
verance and  general  culture. 

For  these  reasons  music  is  considered  as  one  of  the 
most  important  branches  in  our  school,  and  neither 
expense  in  increasing  the  number  and  variety  of  instru- 
ments nor  pains  in  securing  the  services  of  zealous 
and  talented  teachers  are  spared.  It  is  hoped  that 
the  necessary  means  may  be  supplied  for  continuing 
our  efforts  in  this  direction  unrelaxed  until  the  music 
department  of  the  Institution  may  become  a  truly 
complete  and  efficient  conservatorium,  the  graduates 
of  which  shall  be  well  fitted  to  be  classed  with  the 
best  players  and  vocalists,  and  be  in  demand  as  among 


54  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  most  competent  instructors  in  composition,  counter- 
point and  fugue. 

Tuning  Department. 

Closely  interwoven  with  the  interests  of  the  musical 
are  those  of  the  tuning  department.  Many  of  our 
musical  pupils  incline  rather  toward  tuning  than  teach- 
ing as  a  profession ;  and,  even  when  this  is  not  the  case, 
the  power  of  taking  care  of  his  own  instrument  is  of 
great  value  to  a  musician,  and  is  in  fact  one  requisite 
of  a  perfect  artist. 

The  affahs  of  the  tuning  department  are  being  vig- 
orously carried  on,  and  steady  progress  has  been  made 
during  the  past  year. 

Eighteen  pupils  have  received  instruction  in  tuning, 
five  of  whom  graduated  at  the  close  of  the  school  term. 
These  were  all  carefully  prepared  and  well  fitted  to 
enter  into  the  domain  of  practical  business,  and  so  far 
as  heard  from,  are  doing  extremely  well. 

The  work  of  our  tuners  has  given  entire  satisfaction 
to  our  customers,  and  its  quality  is  best  attested  by  the 
comparative  readmess  with  which  some  of  the  most 
intelligent  families  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring 
towns  place  thek  costly  instruments  under  the  care 
of  the  tuning  department  of  this  Institution. 

The  contract  for  tuning  and  keeping  in  repair  the 
piano-fortes  used  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston  for  one 
year  expu'ed  on  the  first  of  May  last,  and  the  work  of  our 
tuners  was  so  thoroughly  and  conscientiously  done  as 
to  dispel  all  doubts  as  to  their  skill  and  ability,  and 
meet  with  the  unanimous  and  unqualified  approval  and 


18T8.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  55 

commendation  of  the  instructors  of  music  in  the  public 
schools,  expressed  in  the  following  testimonials  :  — 

Mr.  J.  W.  Smith.  My  dear  Sir,  —  I  am  pleased  to  state  that 
you  have  taken  excellent  care  of  the  pianos  in  our  public  schools 
during  this  and  last  school  year.  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I 
find  your  tuning,  &c.,  fully  equal  to  the  best.  Let  me  express  the 
hope  that  our  pianos  will  continue  in  your  competent  and  faithful 
charge.  Yours  very  truly, 

JULIUS   EICHBERG. 
Boston,  Feb.  2,  1878. 

J.  W.  Smith,  Esq.  Dear  Sir,  — I  take  the  opportunity  to 
state  my  pleasure  at  the  prompt  and  efficient  manner  in  which  the 
city  tuning  has  been  conducted  by  you  in  the  interests  of  the 
blind.  The  tuning  is  good,  and  stands  well:  this  being  true, 
right-minded  citizens  should  see  that  the  unfortunates  have  a  fair 
opportunity. 

Wishing  you  full  success,  I  am  yours  sincerely, 

J.    B.    SHARLAND. 
Boston,  Mass.,  Feb.  7,  1878. 

Mr.  Smith.  Dear  Sir, — I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  pianos 
used  by  me  in  the  public  schools  the  past  year,  that  have  been 
tuned  under  your  supervision,  have  been  tuned  to  my  entire  satis- 
faction. Respectfully  yours, 

H.   E.    HOLT. 

Mr.  Smith.  Dear  Sir,  —  lam  happy  to  cordially  testify  to 
the  excellent  care  taken  by  you  and  3'our  assistants  of  the  pianos 
in  my  district.  Yours  truly, 

LUCY  H.  GARLIN, 
Special  Instructor  of  Music,  W.  Roxhury  and  Brighton. 
Boston,  Sept.  30,  1878. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Smith.  Dear  Sir,—1  take  pleasure  in  expressing 
to  you  my  entire  satisfaction  with  the  tuning  of  the  pianos  in  the 
public  schools  of  my  district  the  past  year.  The  work  has  been 
promptly  and  faithfully  performed,  and  I  shall  cheerfully  recom- 


56  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

mend  your  services  to  any  one  in  need  of  them.     Stiould  tliis  be 
of  any  service  to  you,  3'ou  are  at  liberty  to  use  it  as  you  please. 

Yours  truly, 

J.   W.   MASON. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  after  a  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  matter,  the  committee  on  accounts  of  the 
school  board  have  unhesitatingly  and  cheerfully  re- 
newed the  contract  for  another  year  on  the  same  terms 
as  before,  "  as  an  evidence  of  their  entire  satisfaction," 
and  have  touched  upon  the  subject  in  their  last  annual 
report  in  the  following  words  :  — 

"  Last  May,  owing  to  the  decease  of  the  former  tuner  of  pianos 
for  the  cit}',  the  contract  for  the  tuning  and  small  repairs  was 
awarded  to  the  management  of  the  Perkins  Institution  for  the 
Blind  at  South  Boston.  The  committee  were  not  unanimous  in 
this  selection :  it  seemed  to  some  of  them  to  be  of  doubtful  expe- 
diency ;  while  they  did  not  question  the  abilit}^  of  the  blind  people 
to  correctlj-  tune  an  instrument,  ^-  a  matter  depending  upon  the 
ear,  —  they  did  not  feel  that  they  were  as  fuU^^  capable  of  judging 
the  need  of  small  repairs  constantly  required  by  instruments  sub- 
mitted to  such  hard  usage  as  the  pianos  in  our  schools.  They 
also  believed  that  should  they  be  obliged  from  these  circumstances 
to  transfer  the  contract  to  other  parties  at  the  end  of  the  year,  it 
would  be  a  matter  of  great  regret  to  all  concerned,  and  work  to 
the  injury  of  the  Institution.  The  contract,  however,  was 
awarded,  the  management  assuming  the  responsibilities  cheer- 
fully and  with  a  full  knowledge  of  their  importance.  At  the  end 
of  the  year  their  work  received  the  unanimous  approval  of  the 
music  instructors,  and  the  approbation  of  the  committee.  As  an 
evidence  of  their  entire  satisfaction,  the  contract  was  again 
awarded  to  them  at  the  same  price." 

The  renewal  of  this  contract  is  a  subject  of  much 
congratulation.     It   is   an   explicit  recognition    and  an 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  57 

official  acknowledgment  of  the  ability  and  proficiency 
of  the  tuners  of  this  Institution  made  by  the  school 
board  of  the  city  of  Boston.  It  is  an  eloquent  recom- 
mendation of  their  skiU  and  competence,  which  will 
open  a  broad  field  of  activity  and  usefulness,  and  at  the 
same  time  confer  an  incalculable  benefit  upon  their 
brethren  in  misfortune  everywhere.  It  is  a  noble  act  of 
justice  and  fairness,  and  its  effects  will  doubtless  be  to 
inspire  the  bhnd  in  all  parts  of  the  country  with  cour- 
age and  hope,  and  to  stimulate  them  to  more  strenuous 
exertions  and  greater  efforts  to  attain  efficiency  in  their 
respective  vocations  and  take  their  place  in  the  social 
ranks.  May  the  example  of  the  school  committee  of 
Boston  be  followed  by  those  of  all  other  cities,  where 
there  is  an  opportunity  to  give  employment  to  compe- 
tent tuners  of  this  class. 

The  receipts  of  the  tuning  department  during  the 
past  year  amounted  to  about  sixteen  hundred  dollars, 
the  greater  portion  of  which  has  been  paid  to  those 
who  have  done  the  work,  and  in  some  cases  has  sup- 
plied a  pressing  need. 

Several  of  the  more  advanced  scholars  in  this  depart- 
ment have  practised  tuning  reeds  with  satisfactory 
results.  Their  success  has  removed  the  doubts  which 
have  hitherto  existed  as  to  the  possibility  of  the  blind 
becoming  adepts  in  tuning  reed  organs.  We  have 
already  received  encouraging  reports  from  several  young 
men,  who,  since  they  left  us,  have  done  this  kind  of 
work  successfully  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
owners  of  the  instruments. 

At  the  convention  of  the  American  instructors  of  the 
blmd,  recently  held  in  Columbus,  O.,  much  interest  was 


58  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

manifested  in  the  art  of  tuning  piano-fortes  as  a  suitable 
employment  for  the  blind,  and,  so  far  as  there  was  any 
opinion  expressed  as  to  the  qualifications  of  the  sight- 
less tuners,  it  was  in  the  right  direction.  Too  much 
stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  importance  of  havmg 
these  tuners  carefully  trained  and  thoroughly  qualified 
in  then  art.  To  this  end  the  course  of  instruction 
must  be  systematic  and  progressive,  the  facilities  for  the 
cultivation  of  the  discriminating  power  of  the  ear 
varied  and  adequate,  and  the  means  for  study,  illustra- 
tion, and  practice  ample. 

But  even  a  great  proficiency  and  acknowledged  excel- 
lence in  the  art  of  tuning  and  repairing  piano-fortes 
cannot  be  of  great  avail  to  its  owner  unless  accompa- 
nied by  intelligence,  good  address,  tact,  pleasing  man- 
ners, neatness  in  person  and  apparel,  modesty  in  de- 
meanor, freedom  from  unclean  and  objectionable  habits, 
and  above  all  promptness  and  sterling  honesty  in  all 
business  transactions.  Unfortunately  these  requisites 
are  often  overlooked  by  the  blind,  and  some  among 
their  number  are  partly  responsible  for  the  prejudices 
existing  against  them.  Such  persons  are  those  who 
have  sought  and  obtained  employment  on  the  ground  of 
charity  rather  than  of  competence,  and  who  were 
utterly  unfit  to  do  the  work  intrusted  to  them.  Thus, 
while  proving  themselves  unworthy  of  the  confidence 
and  patronage  generously  given  to  them,  they  have  at 
the  same  time  raised  a  strong  disbelief  in  the  abilities 
of  the  blind  as  a  class,  thereby  ruining  the  prospects  of 
skilful  workmen  who  but  for  this  might  be  hired  with 
quite  as  much  profit  to  their  employers  as  to  themselves. 
By  similar  individual  acts   the   blind  in    general  have 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  59 

been  unjustly  harassed,  their  labor  undervalued,  their 
efforts  for  self-maintenance  misapprehended,  their  fitness 
to  do  various  kinds  of  work  doubted,  and  their  interests 
injui-ed.  Happily  the  time  for  asking  and  receiving  aid 
on  the  score  of  charity  has  passed.  The  memory  of 
Bartimeus'  old  seat  by  the  gates  of  Jericho  is  a  per- 
petual protest  against  what  is  so  pitiable  a  disregard  of 
man's  dignity  and  self-respect,  and  an  unequivocal  con- 
demnation of  the  unsoundness  of  a  faded  civilization. 
There  prevails  among  the  blind  of  to-day  a  higher 
standard  and  a  nobler  ideal  of  true  manhood  and 
womanhood.  The  educational  advantages  which  they 
have  enjoyed  for  the  last  forty-seven  years  in  this  coun- 
try have  created  and  fostered  in  them  a  just  aspiration 
for  independence  and  social  equality,  and  an  ardent 
deske  to  accept  and  assume  the  responsibilities  of  life 
under  the  same  conditions  with  their  more  fortunate 
brethren.     Mdton  wrote,  — 

"  What  in  me  is  dark, 
Illumine  ;  what  is  low,  raise  and  support," 

and  the  echo  comes,  from  the  cultivated  and  elevated 
ranks  of  the  blind  of  New  England,  "  Let  intellectual 
and  moral  light  penetrate  and  dispel  the  clouds  of 
physical  darkness,  give  us  educational  facilities  for  the 
development  of  our  faculties  and  the  increase  of  our 
capacity,  grant  us  suitable  opportunities  for  preparing 
and  arming  ourselves  efficiently  for  the  struggle  of  life, 
and  we  ask  no  more." 

Our  tuning  department  is  suppUed  with  every  appli- 
ance necessary  to  give  the  pupils  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge   of    the    mechanism    of   the    piano.     A    practical 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

acquaintance  with  all  parts  of  the  instrument  is  consid- 
ered so  essential  in  the  traming  of  our  tuners  that  no 
one  wanting  in  it  is  allowed  to  undertake  to  tune,  and 
much  less  to  repair,  a  piano-forte.  Pupils  are  required 
to  study  all  the  smaller  parts  of  the  action  minutely, 
familiarizing  themselves  with  the  shape  and  use  of  each 
one,  just  as  young  surgeons  are  taught  the  use  of  the 
muscles  and  tendons  of  the  human  body  by  dissection. 

No  endeavors  are  spared  in  securing  every  appliance 
to  facilitate  the  work  of  our  tuners,  and  place  them  as 
nearly  as  possible  upon  an  equal  footing  with  the  seeing 
members  of  the  craft.  We  have  recently  introduced  a 
new  and  useful  contrivance,  by  means  of  which  they  are 
enabled  to  remove  the  dust  from  the  sound-board,  as 
well  as  any  small  articles  which  may  have  lodged  upon 
it,  and  which  cannot  be  reached  in  any  other  way.  It 
is  simple  in  its  construction,  not  liable  to  get  out  of 
order,  can  be  obtained  at  a  reasonable  cost  and  carried 
in  the  bag  with  other  tools. 

It  is  a  very  propitious  omen  that  manufacturers  of 
piano-fortes  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  claims  of  the 
blind  tuners  and  to  admit  them  to  their  shops.  Much 
credit  is  due  to  one  of  the  most  famous  houses  in  Lon- 
don, Eng.,  for  employing  several  of  these  tuners.  A 
few  of  them  have  also  met  with  encouragement  in 
some  of  the  manufactories  of  this  country,  and  the  head 
tuner  of  one  of  our  leading  American  firms  is  a  blind 
man.  May  this  example  be  followed  by  other  piano- 
makers  of  high  standing  and  great  influence.  Experience 
obtained  by  observation  and  supported  by  a  scientific  ex- 
amination of  the  functions  of  the  sense  of  sight  and  of  the 
efi'ects  of  its  loss,  asserts  that  the  blind  develop  a  most 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  61 

astonishing  power  and  accuracy  in  distinguishing  the 
pitch  and  quality  of  sounds,  and  that  they  acquu-e  great 
proficiency  in  the  art  of  tuning  piano-fortes.  The  testi- 
mony of  artists,  music-teachers,  amateur  players  and 
school  committees  confu*ms  this  affirmation.  Mendels- 
sohn, that  bright  star  in  the  firmament  of  music,  was 
heard  to  say  of  a  piano  tuned  by  a  blind  man,  that  it  was 
in  the  finest  condition  of  any  he  had  ever  known. 

Is  not  all  this  sufficient  testimony  to  induce  American 
piano-manufacturers  to  give  these  tuners  a  fair  and 
patient  trial,  and  decide  then*  case,  not  by  a  mere  a 
priori  reasoning,  but  on  its  own  merits  ? 

Technical   Department. 

This  department  constitutes  a  most  important  branch 
of  our  course  of  training,  and  an  essential  factor  in  the 
education  of  the  blind. 

As  has  often  been  stated  in  these  reports,  manual 
labor  is  of  great  value  to  all  men,  and  of  inestimable  bene- 
fit to  the  sightless.  It  is  important  as  a  hygienic  agency. 
It  trains  the  body  to  strength  and  activity,  and  the  hand 
to  dexterity.  It  furnishes  a  gentle  stimulus  to  the  men- 
tal faculties,  while  it  prevents  the  morbid  activity  of  the 
brain,  which  too  much  study  is  apt  to  produce  in  young 
persons.  It  is  an  essential  feature  in  the  division  and 
employment  of  time  in  every  well-regulated  mstitution 
for  the  blind.  Finally,  it  acts  as  a  balance-wheel  to  the 
deportment  of  the  pupils ;  for  when  a  child  is  put  into 
the  workshop  and  set  to  doing  something  that  requires 
close  attention  of  the  mind  and  careful  use  of  the  hand, 
he  soon  becomes  more  orderly  in  his  habits,  more  easily 


62  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

controlled,  and  applies  himself  more  readily  to  his 
studies  in  the  schoolroom. 

Manual  labor  has  always  been  considered  of  para- 
mount importance,  and  received  due  attention  in  this 
Institution.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  its  management  so 
to  arrange  the  studies,  occupations,  and  recreations  of 
the  pupils  as  to  secure  the  full  and  harmonious  develop- 
ment of  all  their  faculties,  and  place  them  in  the  condi- 
tions most  favorable  to  mental  and  moral  improvement, 
health,  happiness,  and  the  prospect  of  future  mdepend- 
ence.  No  effoi-t  has  ever  been  spared  to  impress  upon 
the  minds  of  the  scholars  the  fact  that  character  is  the 
great  mark  of  distinction  among  men,  and  that  it  is  of 
little  consequence  what  pursuits  they  follow,  if  they  can 
oidy  answer  life's  great  ends,  and  become  good,  useful, 
and  upright  citizens.  The  silly  and  wicked  notion  that 
manual  work  is  menial  has  always  been  emphatically 
refuted  in  our  school,  and  the  pupils,  without  distinction 
of  social  station  or  sex,  are  practically  and  constantly 
taught  the  necessity  and  dignity  of  labor  as  the  primal 
source  of  all  human  excellence  and  progress.  They  are 
brought  up  with  the  feeling  that  to  learn  to  be  useful  is 
alike  their  duty,  privilege,  and  interest. 

Our  system  of  instruction  does  not  concern  itself  ex- 
clusively with  mere  book-learning,  but  gives  an  equally 
prominent  place  to  training  for  the  productive  employ- 
ments of  life.  Wliile  it  addresses  the  mind,  it  does 
not  ignore  the  hands  and  the  whole  range  of  faculties 
of  which  they  are  the  special  instruments.  It  aims  to 
develop  all  the  aptitudes  and  professional  or  mechan- 
ical tastes,  and  to  send  out  graduates  not  only  pos- 
sessed with  the  proper  amount  of  knowledge,  but  also 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  63 

sufficiently  prepared  to  become  practical  men  and  wo- 
men. Most  of  our  pupils  belong  to  those  classes  of 
the  people  who  depend  upon  their  exertions  in  some 
form  for  their  support.  Hence,  the  professions  they  ac- 
quire and  the  trades  they  learn  here  place  them  in  an 
independent  position,  unite  them  to  the  productive 
classes  of  society,  and  give  them  the  ability  not  only  to 
maintain  themselves,  but  often  to  assist  their  friends. 

The  business  of  the  technical  department  has  been 
conducted  during  the  past  year  with  intelligence  and 
fidelity  on  the  part  of  those  in  charge  of  it,  and  with 
very  gratifying  results.  It  is  divided  into  two  branches, 
one  for  the  boys,  and  the  other  for  the  gMs,  and  the 
pupils  have  applied  themselves  with  earnestness  and 
unfaltering  diligence. 

/.  —  Workshop  for  the  Boys. 

A  variety  of  trades,  such  as  seating  cane-bottomed 
chairs,  manufacturing  brooms,  upholstering  parlor  fur- 
niture and  making  mattresses,  are  taught  in  this  shop, 
and  the  pupils  receive  such  training  as  is  essential  to 
insure  their  skill  and  success.  As  soon  as  they  have 
learned  the  elements  of  their  handicraft  they  make 
marketable  articles  under  the  supervision  and  often 
with  the  assistance  of  their  instructors,  so  that  they  at 
once  feel  that  they  are  engaged  in  real  business.  This 
plan  excites  thek  interest  and  ambition,  gives  a  dignity 
to  then-  work  in  their  own  estimation,  and  lays  the 
foundation  of  energy  and  patience,  of  economy  and 
insight,  self-reliance  and  firmness  of  will. 

The  object  contemplated  in  teaching  trades  is  not 
pecuniary  profit,  nor  is  it  expected  that  in  the  short 


64  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

intervals  of  time  devoted  to  their  acquisition  mere  boys 
can  acpuire  the  skill  and  ability  of  those  who  make  it 
then-  chief  end  and  pursuit.  The  most  that  is  designed 
is  to  turn  the  activity  peculiar  to  children  to  a  purpose 
useful  to  themselves,  to  foster  in  them  habits  of  order 
and  industry,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  successful 
prosecution  of  manual  occupations  after  they  leave  the 
school,  so  that  they  may  become  able  to  minister  to 
their  own  wants. 

11.  —  Workrooms  for  the  Girls. 

The  female  pupils  have  been  regularly  occupied  in 
various  branches  of  handicraft,  and  a  high  degree  of 
activity  has  prevailed  in  their  workrooms  during  the 
past  year. 

They  have  received  daily  instruction  in  the  use  of 
the  sewing-machine,  in  knitting  both  by  hand  and  ma- 
chme,  in  crocheting,  and  in  making  a  great  variety 
of  articles  of  fancy,  worsted,  and  bead  work.  Sj)ecial 
attention  is  always  given  to  plain  sewing  as  an  indis- 
pensable part  of  the  practical  education  of  our  female 
pupils,  and  most  of  them  become  adepts  in  it. 

The  various  articles  manufactured  by  the  girls  during 
the  year  have  given  evidence  of  faithful  instruction  and 
diligent  practice,  and  have  been  promptly  disposed  of 
at  our  weekly  exhibitions. 

Of  course,  in  an  age  like  the  present,  when  iron  fin- 
gers are  employed  in  all  branches  of  industry  at  a  great 
deal  less  cost  than  is  requu'ed  for  those  of  flesh,  it  is 
hardly  possible  that  our  pupils  shall  gain  their  living 
by  needle  or  bead  work.  AU  that  can  be  reasonably 
expected  is  tliat  they  should  be  able  to  earn  something 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  65 

besides  doing  their  o^vn  work  and  that  of  their  famihes. 
But,  however  small  may  be  the  pecuniary  advantages 
derived  from  sewing  or  making  bead  baskets  and  cups, 
the  mental  effect  produced  by  the  soothing  monotony 
of  stitching,  or  counting  and  stringing  beads,  is  valuable 
to  them.  It  subdues  restlessness  and  nervousness,  and 
cultivates  patience  and  perseverance.  It  draws  out  the 
faculties  of  the  intellect  and  rouses  them  into  energy, 
directness,  and  precision  of  effort.  It  counteracts  that 
propensity  to  idleness  and  mischief  which  is  so  apt  to 
develop  itself  among  young  pupils  unprovided  with  any 
useful  occupation,  and  at  the  same  time  teaches  them 
unselfishness  by  enabling  them  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment  to  begin  to  prepare  with  then-  own  little  fin- 
gers gifts  for  their  parents,  relatives  and  friends. 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  manual  occupa- 
tions, the  female  pupils  are  required  to  devote  a  portion 
of  each  day  to  housework  under  the  direction  of  their 
respective  matrons,  and  to  the  performance  of  such 
domestic  duties  as  will  probably  in  due  time  devolve 
upon  them. 

Physical  Training. 

"  Corpus  enim  male  si  valeat,  parere  nequibit, 
Prseceptis  animi,  magna  et  preclara  juventis." 

Marcellus  Palingenius. 

In  preparing  and  carrying  out  a  complete  course  of 
general  education,  the  physical  training  of  the  pupils 
has  received  all  the  attention  which  its  importance 
demands. 

A  sound  and  vigorous  body  is  indispensable  to  suc- 
cess in  any  active  form  of  intellectual  life.     It  is  the 


66  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

ground-work  upon  which  the  superstructure  of  what 
may  become  a  noble  temple  of  moral  and  mental  excel- 
lence can  be  safely  erected.  Rousseau  says,  "  A  weak 
body  weakens  the  soul.  ...  If  you  would  develop  the 
understanding  of  your  pupil,  develop  the  powers  which 
his  understanding  is  to  govern ;  incessantly  train  his 
body.  Make  him  strong  and  healthy,  that  you  may 
make  him  wise  and  intelligent ;  make  him  work,  run, 
cry  out,  always  busied  about  something ;  let  him  be  a 
man  in  strength,  and  then  he  will  be  one  in  reason!" 

The  well  established  principle,  that  regular  and 
systematic  exercise  promotes  and  strengthens  all  the 
powers  of  a  human  being,  is  the  basis  of  all  education. 
The  idiot,  in  whom  the  feebleness  or  perverseness  of 
wiU  is  perhaps  the  real  reason  why  his  faculties  are 
at  fii-st  so  dormant,  is  reached  thi'ough  the  cultivation 
of  his  physical  organization.  The  instructor  by  a  series 
of  progressive  exercises  teaches  him  the  use  of  his 
muscles ;  and  when  this  is  accomplished,  he  is  enabled 
to  make  physical  exertion  voluntarily  in  a  given  direc- 
tion, which  was  at  one  time  impossible.  The  will  is 
thus  strengthened,  and  may  thenceforward  be  gradu- 
ally brought  to  bear  upon  the  operations  of  the  mind. 
Indeed,  it  is  remarkable  what  an  influence  systematic 
gymnastics  and  concerted  movements  have  upon  the 
health,  mental  vigor  and  the  habits  of  aU  childi-en. 
Such  exercises,  arranged  with  a  full  knowledge  of 
the  natural  laws  of  human  development  and  of  the 
special  requhements  of  the  class  of  people  for  whose 
benefit  they  are  designed,  and  faithfully  carried  out,  wiU 
lessen  organic  weaknesses,  raise  the  standard  of  their 
health  and  strength,  and  bring  them  out  hale,  sound, 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  67 

and  well-built.  Want  of  exercise,  and  neglect  of  physi- 
cal training  act  injuriously  upon  the  nervous  system, 
and  often  predispose  to  melancholy,  indigestion,  hysteria 
and  hypochondriasis.  Children  brought  up  in  the  lap 
of  indolence,  inactivity  and  ease  become  sickly,  dissat- 
isfied and  nervous :  but,  tlu'owTi  by  some  seeming  mis- 
fortune on  their  own  resources,  are  aroused  by  the 
necessity  of  their  situation  from  drowsiness  and  infirm- 
ities to  healthy  and  vigorous  action. 

The  indispensableness  of  gymnastics  in  a  system  of 
education  professing  to  train  the  entire  man  and  claim- 
ing to  be  especially  appropriate  for  the  blind,  whose 
stamina  are  lower  than  the  common  average,  is  so 
clear  as  to  need  no  demonstration ;  and  it  is  a  cause 
for  gratification  to  be  able  to  report  that  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  year  calisthenic  exercises 
"for  physical  development  were  pursued  as  a  regular 
school  duty  by  our  female  pupils  as  much  as  their 
studies.  These  exercises  are  so  eminently  adapted  to 
improve  the  health,  promote  agility  and  gracefulness 
of  movement,  and  to  add  to  the  beauty  of  personal 
appearance,  that  for  the  purpose  of  carrymg  them  out 
methodically  a  variety  of  apparatus  has  been  placed  in 
the  gallery  and  a  suitable  uniform  dress  has  been  pro- 
vided by 'each  of  the  ghls  and  their  teachers.  Thus 
physical  training  has  come  to  be  considered  enjoyable 
and  almost  attractive  among  the  female  scholars,  and 
its  effects  are  already  visible  in  the  whole  carriage,  in 
the  freshness  of  the  skin,  in  theh  manner  of  entering 
and  leaving  the  rooms,  in  the  erectness  of  theu'  forms, 
in  their  intelligent  activity,  and  in  the  zest  with  which 
they  pursue  their  studies. 


68  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

When  our  new  gymnasium  is  equipped  and  complete 
in  all  its  appointments,  and  physical  education  takes 
its  proj)er  place  in  our  course  of  training,  all  our  pupils 
will  improve  both  in  body  and  in  mind.  They  will  be 
trained  to  hold  their  heads  high  and  erect,  to  move 
their  hands  and  arms  gracefully,  to  sit,  stand  and  walk 
properly,  and  will  acquii'e  habits  of  promptness,  pre- 
ciseness  and  decision. 

Culture  and  Social  Intercourse. 

Of  all  the  agencies  which  can  be  effectively  employed 
to  ameliorate  the  intellectual  and  moral  condition  of  our 
pupils,  and  enable  them  to  reach  the  tone,  grace  and 
finish  which  give  to  society  its  m-esistible  attraction, 
culture  and  sound  development  of  the  social  nature  are 
the  most  important  ones. 

Culture  is  the  enlightenment  and  discipline  acquired  by 
mental  training.  It  comprehends  both  the  development 
and  refinement  of  the  intellectual  faculties.  It  culti- 
vates and  fertilizes  the  soil  in  which  new  ideas  are  to 
grow.  Matthew  Arnold  defines  it  as  the  "  study  and 
pursuit  of  perfection"  with  "sweetness  and  light"  for 
its  characteristics.  An  ancient  Greek  author  says  that 
"  they  who  share  our  culture  are  more  our  brothers  than 
tho^e  who  are  of  our  blood."  Akenside  speaks  of  the 
influence  of  culture  as  foUows :  -^ 

^'  But  though  Heaven 
In  every  breast  hath  sown  these  early  seeds 
Of  love  and  admiration,  yet  in  vain, 
Without  fair  Culture's  kind  parental  aid,    ' 
Without  enlivening  suns  and  genial  showers, 
And  shelter  from  the  blast,  in  vain  we  hope 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  69 

The  tender  plant  should  rear  its  blooming  head, 
Or  yield  the  harvest  promised  in  the  spring." 


A  broad  culture  seasons  and  ripens  the  whole  man. 
It  civihzes,  humanizes  and  perfects  him  both  in  mind 
and  character.  Persons,  in  whom  the  processes  of  cul- 
ture have  done  their  complete  work  in  forming  the 
capacity  to  think,  in  giving  felicity  of  expression,  breadth 
and  accuracy  of  knowledge,  firmness  of  manners,  the 
sense  of  beauty,  and  the  art  of  living,  are  placed  in 
proper  relations  with  their  fellow-men  irrespectively  of 
any  physical  defects.  This  is  undeniably  a  great  boon 
to  all  human  beings,  but  especially  to  men  whom  the 
loss  of  the  visual  sense  tends  to  segregate  and  isolate 
from  those  who  are  blessed  with  sight.  The  reasons 
are  obvious. 

A  blind  person  is  an  inherent  part  of  the  social  organ- 
ism. His  individuality  celebrates  its  noblest  triumphs 
when  it  co-ordinates  itself  with  that  of  others ;  when  he 
becomes  an  element  of  society.  He  has  an  instinctive 
longing  for  social  growth.  He  must  therefore  have  social 
as  well  as  individual  training ;  and  this  he  can  attain 
only  through  intercourse  with  other  individual  portions 
of  that  organism.  Hence  blind  childi'en  must  commin- 
gle constantly  with  seeing  persons,  in  order  to  cultivate 
those  traits  of  social  character  and  habits  of  conduct 
which  attract  rather  than  repel  the  sympathies  of  those 
with  whom  they  are  called  upon  to  associate,  and  to 
transact  business. 

Considerations  like  these  have  induced  us  to  seek 
every  possible  means,  which  could  contribute  to  the  in- 
tellectual and  testhetic  culture,  as  well  as  to  the  devel- 


70  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

opment  of  the  social  nature  of  oiu*  pupils.  Thanks  to 
the  generosity  and  kindness  of  various  litterateurs  and 
artists,  whose  interest  in  the  progress  of  our  school  and 
friendly  feehng  toward  its  inmates  prompted  them  to 
oiFer  their  services  gratuitously,  an  almost  uninterrupted 
series  of  lectures,  readmgs,  and  concerts  was  enjoyed 
during  the  past  year.  These  entertainments,  which 
were  highly  appreciated  by  the  members  of  our  own 
household  and  a  large  number  of  invited  friends  and 
neighbors,  served  also  as  a  most  effective  vehicle  of  gen- 
eral culture  and  of  social  intercoiu'se  and  interchange 
of  ideas  and  thoughts  between  blind  and  seeing  people. 

Remarks  on  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

In  touching  upon  this  subject,  I  have  neither  time 
nor  space  to  give  an  elaborate  account  of  its  various 
phases,  or  to  enter  into  a  scientific  treatment  of  its 
nature  and  objects.  I  intend,  therefore,  simply  to  set 
forth  a  few  reflections  of  a  general  character. 

The  question  of  the  education  of  the  blind,  no  less 
than  that  of  those  who  can  see,  is  not  as  plain  and 
simple  as  may  appear.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  com- 
plex and  difficult  one.  It  involves  great  principles  of 
physiology,  mental  philosophy,  and  sociology,  and  takes 
its  mould  and  fashion  from  these  sciences.  It  is  of  vital 
interest  and  vast  importance  to  the  community,  both 
from  its  special  bearing  upon  poUtical  economy  and  its 
effects  upon  humanity  at  large. 

There  is  hardly  any  difficulty  in  imparting  to  blind 
childi-en  a  certain  amount  of  information  in  the  various 
branches  of  knowledge  through  their  remaining  senses. 
The  great  problem  m  thek  education  is  how  to  mamtain 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  71 

the  proper  equilibrium  in  mental,  moral  and  physical 
development,  and  to  promote  the  harmonious  growth  of 
the  whole  nature ;  how  to  balance  the  increase  of  the 
capacity  of  the  perceptive  and  reflective  faculties,  and 
prevent  an  undue  preponderance  of  the  latter  over  the 
former ;  how  to  counteract  the  effects  of  the  obstruction 
of  one  of  the  important  avenues  of  sense,  and  to  check 
certain  pecuHarities  of  character  and  a  tendency  to 
abstract  and  unsound  generalization  by  which  it  is  inevi- 
tably followed ;  how  to  inspire  a  love  of  manual  labor 
and  to  secure  varied  and  precise  skill  in  its  performance  ; 
how  to  conduct  the  pupils  to  the  fountains  of  sound 
knowledge  and  render  it  the  important  and  indispensa- 
ble means  for  dkect,  vigorous  and  efficient  action ;  to 
lead  them  to  grace  of  movement  and  strength  of  muscle, 
to  noble  purposes  and  firm  endeavor;  to  truth  and 
beauty  and  vii'tue ;  to  free  usefulness  and  full  happi- 
ness ;  to  self-reliant,  dignified  and  loving  manhood  and 
womanhood.  In  other  words,  how  to  enlarge  the  force 
and  variety  of  their  intellectual  faculties  and  capacities, 
to  suppress  undesu'able  tendencies,  and  to  employ  all 
attamable  good  influences  for  the  broadening  of  the 
mind,  the  cultivation  of  the  intellect,  the  strengthening 
of  the  body,  the  purifying  of  the  heart  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  taste. 

It  is  true  that  the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties,  as 
well  as  all  the  essential  characteristics  of  humanity, 
exist  in  the  blind  in  as  perfect  a  state,  and  with  capa- 
bilities as  vast  and  extensive  as  have  been  conferred 
upon  others.  But  one  very  important  condition  of  theii* 
development  and  expansion,  namely,  the  means  for  con- 
stant observation  of  different   objects  and    their  form, 


72  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

color,  qualities,  relations,  and  successions,  are  wholly 
wanting.  Persons  possessing  the  visual  sense  are  ha- 
bitually and  without  any  special  exertion  on  their  part 
noticing  every  thing  which  surrounds  them.  The  sub- 
limities of  nature,  the  beauties  of  art,  the  monuments 
of  human  genius,  the  endless  varieties  of  the  vegetable 
and  animal  kingdoms,  the  innumerable  products  of 
industry  and  ingenuity,  all  are  accessible  to  them,  and 
afford  them  ample  means  for  the  active  exercise  of  both 
then-  perceptive  and  conceptive  faculties.  This  is  essen- 
tial to  the  healthy  development  and  vigorous  maturity 
of  the  intellect. 
Goethe  says  that, 

"  All  that  we  are  and  haA'e  must  grow  into  action  ;  " 

and  Emerson  remarks  that,  "  in  all  human  action  those 
faculties  will  be  strong  which  are  used."  Thus  so  much 
of  mental  discipline  as  is  acquhed  by  the  perception  of 
external  objects  through  the  sense  of  sight  is  lost  to  the 
blind.  Hence  special  study  should  be  devoted  to  the 
physical  peculiarities  and  psychological  phenomena 
arising  from  the  obstruction  of  the  visual  sense,  in 
order  to  employ  the  proper  methods  for  reducing  its 
consequences  to  the  minimum  and  for  exercising  all  the 
mental  faculties  harmoniously  as  far  as  possible. 

Hie  labor ^  hoc  opus  est.  This  is  the  labor,  this  is  the 
task  with  which  the  educators  of  the  bhnd  are  com- 
pelled to  grapple. 

The  solution  of  this  and  similar  problems  demands 
activity,  true  scholarship,  boldness,  serious  delibera- 
tion, a  live  mind,  and  a  sincere  desire  for  reform  and 
improvement.     Surely,  this  subject   has    attracted   the 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  73 

earnest  and  steady  attention  of  a  few  distinguislied  phi- 
lanthropists in  this  country,  and  there  has  heen  a  great 
work  accomplished  in  enlightening  and  imparting  an 
impulse  to  the  intellect  of  those  deprived  of  the  bless- 
ings of  sight,  in  stimulating  their  energies,  and  vivifying 
theu'  activity,  and  in  improving,  elevating  and  raising 
them  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  social  and  moral  status : 
but  the  advancement  hitherto  effected  should  be  re- 
garded as  merely  a  prelude  to  that  which  is  to  come. 
Our  system  of  instruction  and  training,  although  pro- 
ductive of  good  and  abundant  fruit,  is  far  from  being 
perfect.  It  must  keep  pace  with  progress,  otherwise 
the  fate  of  Lot's  wife  is  reserved  for  those  of  our  schools 
which  look  back  on  the  city  of  unphilosophical  empiri- 
cism whence  they  have  fled.  The  beacon  of  s'cience  is 
constantly  burning,  and  sends  an  abundance  of  light 
into  every  department  of  human  thought.  What  seemed 
to  be  excellent  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  may  prove  very 
incomplete  and  deficient  in  this  light.  Vigilant  atten- 
tion and  hard  work  are  therefore  required  in  order  to 
arrange  our  school  courses  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
include  the  subject  matter  as  well  as  the  methods  of 
science,  and  to  reconstruct,  simplify  and  beautify,  and 
to  secure  perfect  proportion  and  symmetry  to  the  whole 
educational  system. 

Closing  Remarks. 

In  administering  the  afi'airs  of  the  Institution  I  have 
steadily  kept  two  objects  in  view :  first,  to  promote  its 
efficiency  and  usefulness  as  a  school  for  the  blind ;  and 
secondly,  to  serve  the  ends  of  economy  in  its  true  mean- 
ing, and  its  bearings  upon  the  social  organism.     To  the 

10 


74  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

political  economist  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the 
proper  means  adopted  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  former 
end  contribute  more  than  all  others  to  the  achievement 
of  the  latter. 

For  whatever  success  or  prosperity  may  have  attended 
our  efforts  in  the  management  of  the  Institution,  I  am 
greatly  indebted  to  the  devotion,  industry  and  vigilance 
of  the  matron  and  of  all  the  teachers  and  officers  who 
have  labored  with  me.  In  full  sympathy  with  the 
pupils,  and  with  perfect  knowledge  of  their  tempera- 
ments, mental  capacity,  weaknesses,  peculiarities  and 
difficulties,  they  are  ever  ready  to  help,  encourage,  in- 
struct and  guide  them  in  the  paths  of  virtue,  morality, 
truth  and  learning.  Surrounded  by  such  faithful  and 
able  assistants,  the  duties  of  the  Dii-ector  are  rendered 
pleasant  and  comparatively  easy. 

In  closing  these  remarks,  allow  me  to  express  to  you, 
gentlemen,  my  deep  gratitude  for  your  continued  kind- 
ness and  confidence  manifested  in  so  many  ways,  and 
my  sincere  thanks  for  your  ready  assistance  and  cordial 
co-operation  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  devolving 
upon  me  m  the  care  and  management  of  the  Institution. 
Respectfully  submitted  by 

M.  ANAGNOS,  Director. 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  2T.  T6 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


Odr  sincere  thanks  and  grateful  acknowledgments  are  herewith 
returned  to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs,  societies,  proprietors 
and  editors,  for  concerts  and  various  musical  entertainments  enjoyed 
in  our  hall  and  elsewhere,  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures,  readings, 
and  for  an  excellent  supply  of  periodicals  and  weekly  papers. 

These  favors  have  not  only  proved  a  source  of  the  highest  grati- 
fication to  our  pupils,  but  also  a  valuble  means  of  aesthetic  culture, 
of  social  intercourse,  and  of  mental  stimulus  and  improvement. 

I.  —  Acknowledgments  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  fine  concerts  and  musical  entertainments  gra- 
tuitously given  in  our  hall  we  are  under  great  obligations  to  the 
following  distinguished  artists  :  — 

Mr.  William  H.  Sherwood,  Madame  Cappiani,  and  some  of 
their  best  pupils. 

Miss  Fanny  Kellogg,  Mr.  John  Orth,  and  Mr.  Wulf  Fries. 

Mrs.  Rametti  and  an  excellent  quartette  composed  of  her  friends 
and  pupils.  To  the  same,  for  a  second  concert,  assisted  by  Mr. 
John  F.  Winch,  the  distinguished  basso. 

Mr.  Hermann  Chelius  and  Miss  Dyke. 

To  Madame  Dietrich  Strong,  for  a  piano  recital. 

Mr.  H.  C.  Barnabee  and  his  friends,  Mrs.  Carter,  Miss  Clara 
Pool,  Mr.  William  Winch,  and  Mr.  H.  M.  Dow  accompanist. 

For  a  series  of  classical  organ  recitals,  to  Mr.  Eugene  Thayer 
and  some  of  his  accomplished  pupils,  ampng  whom  may  be  men- 
tioned one  of  our  own  graduates  and  musical  instructors.  Miss 
Freda  Black,  who  has  been  for  several  years  under  Mr.  Thaj^er's 
tuition,  and  whose  playing  has  attracted  much  attention  among 
organists. 


76  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

//. — Acknowledgments  for  Concerts,  &c.,  in  the  City. 

To  the  Harvard  Musical  Association,  through  its  president, 
Mr.  John  S.  D wight,  for  fift}-  season-tickets  to  the  ten  sj'mphony 
concerts. 

To  the  proprietors  of  the  Boston  Theatre,  through  Dr.  Orlando 
Tompkins,  for  admitting  parties  in  unlimited  numbers  to  eight 
operas. 

To  the  Handel  and  Ha3'dn  Society,  through  its  president  Mr. 
,  C.  C.  Perkins,  for  admission  to  five  of  their  grand  concerts. 

To  Dr.  E.  Tourjee,  for  admission  to  two  concerts  by  the  Jubilee 
Chorus  and  Orchestra. 

To  the  Boj'lston  Club,  through  its  conductor,  Mr.  George  L. 
Osgood,  and  secretar}',  F.  H.  Ratcliff,  for  admission  to  four  con- 
certs. 

To  Mr.  H.  C.  Brown  of  Brown's  Brigade  Band,  for  a  standing 
invitation  to  attend  all  his  Sunday  evening  concerts  from  October 
till  April. 

To  the  following  distinguished  artists,  for  admitting  our  pupils 
to  their  classical  chamber-concerts  :  Mr.  William  H.  Sherwood,  to 
five  ;  Mr.  Ernst  Perabo,  to  four ;  Madame  Schiller,  Mr.  Julius 
Eichberg,  Mr.  John  Orth,  Mrs.  Guild,  and  Mr.  Higgins. 

III. — Acknowledgments  for  Lectures  and  Headings. 

For  a  ver}'  interesting  and  highly  instructive  series  of  lectures 
and  readings  we  are  under  great  obligations  to  the  following  kind 
friends :  To  Dr.  A.  P.  Peabody  of  Harvard  University,  Professor 
L.  T.  Townsend  of  the  Boston  University,  Mr.  B.  P.  Mann  of 
Cambridge,  "Paxton,"  Mrs.  M.  T.  Richards  of  Providence,  Miss 
Alice  Baruicoat  of  Charlestown,  Mr.'  R.  W.  Jamieson,  and  Miss 
A.  J.  Littlefield  of  South  Boston. 

IV. —  Acknoidedgments  for  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 

The  editors  and  proprietors  of  tlie  following  reviews,  magazines, 
and  weekly  or  semi-monthly  papers,  continue  to  be  ver^^  kind 
and  liberal  in  sending  us  their  publications  gratuitously,  which  are 
always  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with  interest :  — 


1878.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


77 


Unitarian  Review        ....         Boston,  3Iass. 
The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosoph}^     St.  Louis,  Mo. 


New  York  City. 

Springfield,  Mass. 

Philadelphia,  Penn. 

Cleveland,  0. 

Boston,  Mass. 


The  National  Review 

Sunday  Afternoon 

Lippincotts'  Magazine 

Braiuard's  Musical  World 

The  Atlantic  Monthly 

The  Literary  Woi'ld  . 

The  Golden  Rule 

The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education 

Dwight's  Journal  of  Music 

The  Folio 

The  Saturday  Evening  Gazette 

The  Watchman 

The  Christian     . 

The  Eclectic 

The  Christian  Union  . 

The  Scientific  American 

Salem  Register Salem,  Mass. 

Goodson's  Gazette,  Va.  Inst,  for  Deaf-Mutes  and  Blind. 
Tablet       .         .         West  Va.  "  "  •   "         " 

Mirror      .         .        Michigan  "  "  "         " 

Companion       .        Minnesota "  "  "         " 

Philomathean  Argus  .  Oldo  Inst,  for  the  Blind. 

II  Mentore  dei  Ciechl  .         .         .      Florence,  Italy. 


New  York  City. 


I  desire  to  render  the  most  hearty  thanks,  in  behalf  of  all  our 
pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  thus  nobly  remembered  them. 
The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  attentions  have  sown 
have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will  continue  to  bear  fruit 
in  after-years  ;  and  the  memory  of  many  of  these  delightful  occa- 
sions and  valuable  gifts  will  be  retained  through  life. 

M.  Anagnos. 


78 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


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1878.]           PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  79 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account. 

Dr. 
1877-1878. 

To  cash  paid  on  Auditor's  drafts       ....  $64,407  88 

city  of  Boston,  for  taxes        .         .         .  196  50 

repaii-s  Prince-street  estate    .         .         .  28  00 

expenses  account  Harris  Fund       .         .  175  00 

investments  in  excess  of  am't  of  legacies  1,502  50 

on  hand  Sept.  30,  1878         ....  2,649  67 


5,959  55 


Cr. 

1877. 

Sept.  30  By  balance  from  former  account         ....    $2,836  75 
Oct.    1.         cash  from  State  of  Massachusetts         .         .         .     7,500  00 

rents 170  64 

30.  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  divi- 

1878.  dend 90  00 

Jan.   2.  From  State  of  Massachusetts 7,500  00 

30.  interest  on  mortgage  notes       ....        750  00 
Fitchburg  Raikoad  dividend    ....         140  00 

31.  M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 
city  of  Boston,  tuning       .         .         .      $600  00 
sale  of  books  in  raised  print    .         .         45  50 

donation 2  00 

receipts  of  work  department:  — 

for  October.  .  .  $1,213  82 
November  .  .  1,802  37 
December    .         .    1,008  49 

3,524  68 


4,172  18 

Feb.    1.  interest  on  deposit 165  28 

Mar.  27.  William  Minot,  executor,  for  accrued  interest 

from  the  Harris  Legacy        ....         565  00 

Apr.    9.  State  of  Massachusetts 7,500  00 

27.               M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 
J.  Lucier,  account  medical  attend- 
ance  $15  00 

from   town    of    Brim  field    account 

George  Needham         .         .         .         14  25 
Tenn.  Institute  for  the   Blind  for 

maps 369  00 

tuning 320  00 

income  of  legacy  to  Laura   Bridg- 

man 50  00 


Amounts  carried  forward     ....     $768  25  $31,389  85 


80 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


1878. 

Apr.  27. 


Amounts  brought  forward     .... 

From  Mrs.  Fraser,  for  board  and  tuition 
of  son  ...... 

sale  of  brooms,  account  of  boys'  shop 
sale  of  old  barrels,  soap-grease,  &c. 
Mrs.  Knowlton ,  for  board  of  daughter 
sale  of  writing-tablets 

salesroom 

town  of  Dedham,  account  of  Mary 

O'Hare 

proceeds  of  concert  in  Chelsea  . 
sale  of  admission-tickets  . 
repairing  furniture  .... 
receipts  of  work  department  as  per 
'following:  — 

for  January  .  .  $953  80 
February  .  .  428  75 
March  .         .       987  85 


$768  25  $31,389  85 


June  14. 
July     2. 

10. 

13. 

19. 

29. 


429 

17 

32 

65 

32  64 

28 

00 

51 

96 

1 

85 

6 

50 

6  42 

44  93 

1 

55 

2,370  40 


Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  dividends 

interest  on  note     ..... 

State  of  Massachusetts 

rents      ....... 

interest  on  Harris  Fund 

Fitchburg  Railroad  dividend 

M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 

Mrs.  Sarah  S.  Russell,  donation  to  Howe 
Memorial  Fund  .... 

Henry  T.  Bray,  for  board  and  tuition 
of  self 

sale  of  books  in  raised  print 

city  of  Boston,  for  tuning     . 

sale  of  old  sashes 

receipts  of  work  department  as  per  fol- 
lowing: — 

for  April  .  .  .  $851  08 
May.  .  .  .  1,259  18 
June         .        .        .    1,182  74 


$500  00 

200  00 
63  50 

400  00 
30  00 


3,293  00 


Aug.     1.       interest  on  deposit 

5.       interest  on  Harris  Fund 
10.       State  of  Connecticut 
Vermont . 


3,774  32 

90  00 
240  00 
7,500  00 
250  00 
120  00 
140  00 


4,486  50 

73  59 

611  29 

4,300  00 

1,950  00 


Amount  carried  forward 


$54,925  55 


1878.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  81 


Amount  brought  forward 

.  154,925  55 

1878. 

Aug.  10. 

From  State  of  Rhode  Island 

. 

3,250  00 

Maine          .... 

. 

3,400  00 

Sept.  6. 

interest  on  mortgage  notes 

. 

875  00 

12. 

State  of  New  Hampshire 

. 

3,000  00 

M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following 

:  — 

Eliza  J.  Quimby,  account  daughter 

$15  00 

tuning 

79  00 

sale  of  brooms,  account  boys'  shop  . 

63  67 

books  in  raised  print,  . 

80  97 

writing-tablets 

5  70 

oldbarrels,  soap-grease,  junk, 

&c 

103  73 

admission-tickets  . 

32  63 

Mrs.  Knowlton,  for  board  of  daughter 

12  00 

salesroom,  for  board  of  clerks  . 

117  64 

use      of      horse      and 

wagon      .         .         .       160  00 
receipts  of  work  department,  as  per 
following:  — 


for  July  .  .  .  $928  61 
August  .  .  601  37 
September    .         .    1,308  68 


2,838  66 


3,509  00 
58,959  55 


Analysis  of  Treasurer's  Accounts. 
The  Treasurer's  account  shows  that  the  total  receipts  during 

the  year  were $68,959  55 

Less  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year       .         .         .      2,836  75 


6,122  80 


Ordinary  Receipts. 

From  the  State  of  Massachusetts     . 

$30,000  00 

beneficiaries  of  other  States  and  in- 

dividuals      

16,669  92 

interest,  couj)ons,  and  rent     . 

4,280  80 

ift^n  n'^n  7^ 

Amount  carried  forward        .... 

.  $50,950  72 

11 

82 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward       ..... 

Extraordinary  Receipts. 
From  work  department  for  sale  of  articles  made  by 


$50,950  72 


the  blind 

#12,026  74 

donations 

502  00 

tuning  ....... 

1,399  00 

sale  of  books  and  maps .... 

600  93 

writing-tablets   .... 

15  70 

brooms,  account  boys'  shop 

96  32 

soap-grease,  old  barrels,  junk,  &c. 

166  37 

admission- tickets 

77  56 

salesroom 

1  85 

proceeds  of  concert         .... 

6  42 

repairing  furniture         .... 

1  55 

salesroom,  for  board  of  clerks 

117  64 

use  of  horse  and  wagon   . 

160  00 

15,172  08 
^66,122  80 


General  Analysis  of  the  Steward's  Account. 
Dr. 
Balance  of  draft  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1877    .         .         .       $485  16 

Receipts  of  Auditor's  drafts 64,407  88 

Balance  due  Steward  Oct.  1,  1878  .         .         .         .         546  63 


5,439  67 


Cr. 

Ordinary  expenses,  as  per  schedule  annexed  .         .  $42,684  27 
Extraordinary  expenses,  as  per  schedule  annexed  .   22,755  40 


$65,439  67 


1878.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


83 


Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1878, 
AS  per  Steward's  Account. 


Meat,  23,685  lbs.          .        .        .       ■. 

Fish,  4,016  lbs 

Butter,  4,740  lbs 

Rice,  sago,  &c.,  822  lbs 

Bread,  flour,  meal,  &c.          .... 

$2,338  00 

217  06 

1,352  97 

77  29 

1,733  74 

Potatoes  and  other  vegetables 

Fruit 

571  57 
239  85 

Milk,  21,575  qts 

Sugar,  9,208  lbs 

Tea  and  coffee,  594  lbs 

Groceries     ....... 

1,105  11 
919  68 
147  50 
575  43 

Coal  and  wood 

380  33 
2,366  19 

Sundry  articles  of  consumption    . 
Salaries,  superintendence  and  instruction 

Domestic  wages 

Outside  aid 

253  47 

14,790  35 

3,928  75 

132  14 

Medicine  and  medical  aid    . 

77  03 

Furniture  and  bedding 
Clothing  and  mending 
Musical  instruments     .... 

1,603  97 

17  71 

1,524  70 

"        "  boys'  shop 

"        "  printing-office  . 

"        "  stable       .... 

827  50 

97  53 

1,133  05 

354  32 

Books,  stationery,  &c 

Ordinary  construction  and  repairs 
Taxes  and  insurance    .... 

2,941  94 

1,908  06 

320  00 

Travelling-expenses     .... 

148  88 
250  00 

Board  of  blind  men      .... 

260  00 

"      "    naan  and  clerk  during  vacation 

74  36 

Sundries 

15  79 

Extraordinary  Expenses. 
Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs        .         .    ^8,175  44 
Bills  to  be  refunded 59  02 

142,684  27 

Beneficiaries  of  the  Harris  Fund  ....          41  67 

Expenses  of  work  department 

.    14,479  27 

22,755  40 

$65,439  67 

84  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Departmekt, 
Oct.  1,  1878. 

Liabilities. 
Due  institution  for  investments  at  sundry  times 

since  the  first  date $36,437  30 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  .         .         .       2,452  53 


Assets. 
Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1878         ....     $4,32752 
Debts  due 1,423  82 


^38,889  83 


5,751  34 


^33,138  49 


Balance  against  work  department  Oct.  1,  1878    .         .         .       $33,138  49 
"  "         "  "  "     1877    .         .         .        31,426  75 


Cost  of  carrying  on  workshop    .  ."        .         .         .         .         SI, 711  74 


Dr. 

Cash  received  for  sales,  &c.,  during  the  year       .   $12,026  74 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  .         .         .       2,452  53 


$14,479  27 


Cr. 

Liabilities  of  Oct.  1,  1877           ....  $939  50 

Salaries  and  wages  paid  blind  persons         .         .  2,809  23 

"         "         "         "    seeing     "               .         .  2,422  86 

Sundries  for  stock,  &c 8,307  68 


t,479  27 


1878.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


85 


Account  of  Stock,  Oct.  1,  1878. 


Real  estate 

1249,100  00 

Railroad  stock 

8,752  50 

Notes  secured  by  mortgage  . 

118,000  00 

Cash 

2,649  67 

Household  furniture     .... 

16,581  41 

Provisions  and  supplies 

1,464  92 

Wood  and  coal     .         .         .         .    '    . 

2,231  51 

Musical  department,  viz. ,  — 

One  large  organ 

$5,500  00 

Three  small  organs   . 

730  00 

Forty-three  pianos    . 

10,992  00 

Violins      ..... 

150  00 

Brass  and  reed  instruments 

1,926  53 

19,298  53 

2,500  00 

Stereotype  plates .... 

1,040  12 

School  furniture  and  apparatus    . 

3,849  20 

Musical  library     .... 

600  00 

Library  of  books  in  common  type 

1,050  00 

Library  of  books  in  raised  type    . 

5,000  00 

BoyiS'  shop 

13]  41 

Stable  and  tools   .... 

1,034  27 

Boat 

20  00 

$433,303  54 

86 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


LIST   OF   EMBOSSED   BOOKS, 

printed  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE    OF    BOOK. 


Howe's  Geography 
Howe's  Atlas  of  the  Islands  ^ 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  First  Book  i 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Second  Book  i 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Third  Book  i 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Fourth  Book  i 
Second  Table  of  Logarithms 
Astronomical  Dictionary     . 
Rudiments  of  Natural  Philosophy  ^ 
Philosophy  of  Natural  History  . 
Guy  of  s  Geography     . 
Howe's  Cyclopfedia    • 
Natural  Theology 
Combe's  Constitution  of  Man    . 
Pope's  Essay  on  Man  ^ 
Baxter's  Call      .... 
Book  of  Proverbs 
Book  of  Psalms  .         .         . 

New  Testament  (small) 
Book  of  Common  Prayer    . 
Hymns  for  the  Blind  i 
Pilgrim's  Progress 
Life  of  Melanchthon  . 
Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop     . 
Shakspeare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Csesar 
Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold 
History  of  United  States    .... 
Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England 
Selections  from  the  Works  of  Swedenborg 
Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe 
Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology,  and  Hygiene 
"Viri  Romse,  new  edition  with  additions 
The  Reader;  or,  Extracts  from  British  and  American  Litera 
ture  ^       .         .         .         .         . 


Musical  Characters  used  by  the  seeing,  with  explanations 
Milton's  Poetical  Works,  in  press 


50 
00 
25 
25 
25 
25 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


3  25 


50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
75 
00 


3  00 

4  00 

2  00 

3  00 
35 


Books  loaned  gi-atuitously  to  any  blind  person  who  offers  sufficient 
security  that  they  will  not  be  abused,  and  will  be  returned. 

1  Stereotyped. 


1878.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


87 


LIST  OF  APPLIANCES  AND  TANGIBLE  APPARATUS, 

made  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


Geography. 
I. —  Wall  Maps. 

1.  The  Hemispheres 

2.  United  States,  Mexico,  and  Canada 

3.  South  America .... 

4.  Europe 

5.  Asia  ...... 

6.  Africa        ..... 

7.  The  World  on  Mercator's  Projection 

Each  135,  or  the  set,  $245. 

II.  —  Dissected    Maps. 


size  42  by  52  inches. 


size  30  by  36  inches. 


1.  Eastern  Hemisphere  . 

2.  Western  Hemisphere 

3.  North  America 

4.  United  States 

5.  South  America 

6.  Europe 

7.  Asia  . 

8.  Africa 

Each  $23,  or  the  set,  $184. 

These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability,  and  beauty,  far  superior  to  all  thus  far 
made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 

The  "New-England  Journal  of  Education"  says,  "They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any  school- 


Arithmetic. 

Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel-plated 
Ciphering-types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred 


Writing. 

Grooved  writing-cards  .     •    . 
Braille's  tablets,  with  metallic  bed 
Braille's  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille's  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed    . 
Braille's  Daisy  tablets  .... 


each. 

$4  25 

1  00 

each, 

$0  12 

it 

1  50 

(( 

1  25 

u 

1  00 

(( 

3  75 

88  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 


TERMS   OF  ADMISSION. 


Young  blind  persons  of  good  moral  character  can  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  school  by  paying  1300  per  annum.  This  sum 
covers  all  expenses,  except  for  clothing;  namely,  board, 
washing,  the  use  of  books,  musical  instruments,  &c.  The 
pupils  must  furnish  their  own  clothing,  and  pay  their  own 
fares  to  and  from  the  Institution.  The  friends  of  the  pupils 
can  visit  them  whenever  they  choose. 

Indigent  blind  persons  of  suitable  age  and  character,  be- 
longing to  Massachusetts,  can  be  admitted  gratuitously,  by 
application  to  the  Governor  for  a  warrant. 

The  following  is  a  good  form,  though  any  other  will  do  :  — 

"  To  Ms  Excellency  the  Governor. 

"  Sir,  —  My  son  (or  daughter,  or  nephew,  or  niece,  as  the  case  may 

be)  named  ,  and  aged  ,  cannot  be  instructed  in  the   common 

schools,  for  want  of  sight.  I  am  unable  to  pay  for  the  tuition  at  the  Per- 
kins Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  and  I  request 
that  youi"  Excellency  will  give  a  warrant  for  free  admission. 

"  Very  respectfully, ." 

The  application  may  be  made  by  any  relation  or  friend,  if 
the  parents  are  dead  or  absent. 

It  should  be  accompanied  by  a  certificate  from  one  or  more 
of  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  or  aldermen  of  the  city,  in 
this  form :  — 

"  I  hereby  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion,  Mr. is  not  a  wealthy 

person,  and  that  he  cannot  afford  to  pay  $300  per  annum  for  his  child's 
instruction.  (Signed) ." 

There  should  be  a  certificate,  signed  by  some  regular  phy- 
sician, in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion, has  not  sufficient  vision  to 

be  taught  in  common  schools;  and  that  he  is  free  from  epilejisy,  and  from 
any  contagious  disease.  (Signed) ." 

These  papers  should  be  done  up  together,  and  forwarded  to 


1878.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  89 

the  Director  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South 
Boston^  Mass. 

An  obligation  will  be  required  from  some  responsible  per- 
sons, that  the  pupil  shall  be  kept  properly  supplied  with 
decent  clothing,  shall  be  provided  for  during  vacations,  and 
shall  be  removed,  without  expense  to  the  Institution,  when- 
ever it  may  be  desirable  to  discharge  him. 

The  usual  period  of  tuition  is  from  five  to  seven  years.  In- 
digent blind  persons  residing  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver- 
mont, Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island,  by  applying  as  above 
to  the  Governor,  or  the  "  Secretary  of  State,"  in  their  respec- 
tive States,  can  obtain  warrants  for  free  admission. 

The  relatives  or  friends  of  the  blind  who  may  be  sent  to 
the  Institution  are  requested  to  furnish  information  in  answer 
to  the  following  questions  :  — 

1.  What  is  the  name  and  age  of  the  applicant  ? 

2.  Where  born  ? 

3.  Was  he  born  blind?     If  not,  at  what  age  was  his  sight  impaired? 

4.  Is  the  blindness  total,  or  partial  ? 

5.  What  is  the  supposed  cause  of  the  blindness  ? 

6.  Has  he  ever  been  subject  to  fits  ? 

7.  Is  he  now  in  good  health,  and  free  from  eruptions  and  contagious 
diseases  of  the  skin  ? 

8.  Has  he  ever  been  to  school?     If  yes,  where? 

9.  What  is  the  general  moral  character  of  the  applicant? 

10.  Of  what  country  was  the  father  of  the  applicant  a  native? 

11.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  and  health  of  the  father,  — 
was  he  vigorous  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary? 

12.  Was  the  father  of  the  applicant  ever  subject  to  fits  or  to  scrofula? 

13.  Were  all  his  senses  perfect? 

14.  Was  he  always  a  temperate  man? 

15.  About  how  old  was  he  when  the  applicant  was  born? 

16.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  the  family  of  the  father  of  the 
applicant;  that  is,  were  any  of  the  grandparents,  parents,  uncles,  aunts, 
brothers,  sisters,  or  cousins,  blind,  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted  with  any 
infirmity  of  body  or  mind  ? 

17.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  the  father  die,  and  of  what  disorder? 

18.  Where  was  the  mother  of  the  applicant  born? 

19.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  of  the  mother  of  the  appli- 
cant, —  strong  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary  ? 

20.  AA'as  she  ever  subject  to  scrofula,  or  to  fits? 

21.  Were  all  her  senses  perfect? 

22.  Was  she  always  a  temperate  woman? 

23.  About  how  old  was  she  when  the  applicant  was  born  ? 

24.  How  many  children  had  slie  before  the  applicant  was  born  ? 


90  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.   [Oct.  78. 

25.  Was  she  related  by  blood  to  her  husband?  If  so,  in  what  degree, 
—  first,  second,  or  third  cousins? 

26.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  she  die,  and  of  what  disorder  ? 

27.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  her  family;  that  is,  were  any 
of  her  grandparents,  parents,  uncles,  aunts,  sisters,  brothers,  children,  or 
cousins,  either  blind,  or  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted  with  any  infirmity  of 
body  or  mind  ? 

28.  What  are  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  parents  or  immediate  rela- 
tives of  the  applicant  ? 

20-.  How  much  can  they  afford  to  pay  towards  the  support  and  educa- 
tion of  the  applicant  ? 

For  further  particulars  address  M.  Anagnos,  Directob 
OF  THE  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston^  Mass. 


■mr 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT.  No.  27. 


rOKTY-EIGHTH  ANNUAL  EEPOET 


THE    TRUSTEES 


PERKINS  INSTITUTION 


assarl^usetts  ^t\iaal  bx  t)^t  §Iinir, 


FOR  THE   YEAR  ENDING 


September    30,    1879. 


BOSTON : 

BantJ,  ^faerg,  S;  ffl^o.,  printers  to  tfie  ComtnontoEaltf), 

117  Franklin  Street, 
1880. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Communication  to  the  Secretary  of  State 4 

Officers  of  the  Corporation 5 

Officers  of  the  Institution 6 

Members  of  the  Corporation 7 

Report  of  the  Trustees 9 

Supervision  and  Training  of  the  Pupils,  p.  11.  —  Moral  and  Social  Elevation  of  the 
Blind,  p.  11.  —  Finances,  p.  14.  —  Need  of  Funds,  p.  16.  — Repairs  and  Improve- 
ments, p.  17.  —  Embossing  Books  for  the  Blind,  p.  19.  —  Work  Department  for 
Adults,  p.  22.  —  Recognition  of  the  Work  of  the  Institution,  p.  24.  —  General 
Remarks,  p.  25. 

Extract  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Corporation.      27 
The  Report  of  the  Director 28 

Number  of  Inmates,  p.  30.  —  Success  of  Graduates,  p.  31.  —  Sanitary  Condition, 
p.  31.  —  Statistics  concerning  Blindness,  p.  33.  —  Means  and  Effects  of  the  Edu- 
cation of  the  Blind,  p.  35.  —  The  various  departments  of  the  Institution,  p.  38. 
Literary  Department,  p.  40.  —  Process  of  Mental  Development,  p.  47.  —  Ob- 
ject-Teaching and  Illustrative  Apparatus,  p.  49.  —  Use  and  Abuse  of  Text-Books, 
p.  51.  —  Music  Department,  p.  53.  —  The  Objectionable  in  Music,  p.  55.  —  The 
True,  the  Beautiful,  and  the  Useful  in  Music,  p.  56.  —  Tuning  Department,  p.  59. 
—  Technical  Department,  p.  63.  —  I.  Workshop  for  Boys,  p.  65.  —  II.  Work- 
rooms for  Girls,  p.  67.  —  Department  of  Physical  Training,  p.  69.  —  Laura  Bridg- 
man,  p.  73.  —  Closing  Remarks,  p.  76. 

Acknowledgments 78 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer 82 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account,  p.  83.  —  Analysis  of  Treasurer's  Ac- 
counts, p.  86. 

General  Analysis  of  Steward's  Account 86 

Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1879,  as  per  Steward's  Ac- 
count, p.  87. 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  "Work  Department 88 

Account  of  Stock  Oct.  1.  1879 89 

List  of  Embossed  Books 90 

List  of  Appliances  and  Tangible  Apparatus 91 

Terms  of  Admission 92 


CommontDealtl)  of  illa00ac[)U0ett0. 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
80.  Boston,  Oct.  17,  1879. 

To  the  Hon.  Henry  B.  Peirce,  Secretary  of  State. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  for  the 
use  of  the  Legislature,  a  copy  of  the  Forty-Eighth  Annual 
Report  of  the  Trustees  of  this  Institution  to  the  Corporation 
thereof,  together  with  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 
Respectfully, 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretary. 


OFFICERS   OF   THE   CORPORATION. 

1879-80. 


SAMUEL   ELIOT,   President. 
JOHN   CUMMINGS,    Vice-President. 
HENRY   ENDICOTT,    Treasurer. 
M.    ANAGNOS,    Secretary. 


BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 


ROBERT  E.   APTHORP. 
JOHN  S.  DWIGHT. 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER. 
J.  THEODORE  HEARD,   M.D. 
HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON. 
JAMES  H  MEANS,  D.D. 


ANDREW  P.   PEABODY,  D.D. 
EDWARD  N.   PERKINS. 
JOSIAH  QUINCY. 
SAMUEL  G.   SNELLING. 
JAMES  STURGIS. 
GEORGE  W.  WALES. 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 
Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 

Whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Institution  at  least  once  in  each  month. 


1880. 


January  .  .  .  R.  E.  Apthorp. 

1880.   July  .  .  . 

.  .  A.  P.  Peabody. 

February  .  .  J.  S.  Dwtght. 

August    . 

.  .  E.  N.  Perkins. 

March  ....  J.  B.  Glover. 

September 

.  Josiah  Quincy. 

April J.  T.  Heard. 

October  . 

.  .  S.  G.  Snelling. 

May H.  L.  Higginson. 

November 

.  .  James  Sturgis. 

June J.  H.  Means. 

December 

.  .  Geo.  W.  Wales 

Committee  on  Education. 

House 

Committee. 

J.   S.   DwiGHT. 

E.  N. 

Perkins. 

A.  P.  Peabody. 

G.  W. 

Wales. 

JOSIAH    QUINCY. 

J.  H. 

Means. 

Committee  of  Finance. 
R.  E.  Apthorp. 
J.  B.  Glover. 
James  Sturgis. 


Committee  on  Health. 
J.  Theodore  Heard. 
E.  N.  Perkins. 
H.  L.  Higginson. 


Auditors  of  Accounts. 

Robert  E.  Apthorp. 
Samuel  G.  Snelling. 


1 


OFFICERS   OF   THE   INSTITUTION. 


DIRECTOR. 
M.    A  N  A  G  N  O  S. 


MEDICAL  INSPECTOR. 
JOHN    HO  MANS,    M.D. 


Miss  M.  L.  P.  Shattuck 

Miss   J.    R.    GiLMAN. 

Miss  Julia  Boylan. 


LITERARY  DEPARTMENT. 

Miss  Bella  Bennett. 
Miss  S.  L.  Bennett. 
Miss  S.  E.  C.  Hatheway. 
Miss  Makt  Moore. 


MUSICAL 
Resident  Teachers. 
Thomas  Rkevks. 
Frank  H.  Kilbourne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Lizzie  Riley. 
Miss  LrcY  Hammond. 

Assistant. 
Henry  T.  Bkay. 


DEPARTMENT. 

Non-Resident  Teachers. 
Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 
Henry'  C.  Brown. 

C.    H.   HiGGIXS. 

Music  Readers. 
Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  K.  M.  Plummer. 
Miss  Katie  P.  Miller. 


TUNING  DEPARTMENT. 

J.  W.  Smith,  Instructor  and  Manager, 


INDUSTRIAL  DEPARTMENT. 


Workshops  for  Juveniles. 
J.  H.  'Wb.igyit,  Work  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham,  Work  Mistress. 
Thdmas  Carroll,  Assistant. 
Miss  H.  Kelher,  Assistant. 


"Workshop  for  Adults. 
A.  W.  BowDEN,  Manager. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  DwELLY,  Forewoman. 
Miss  E.  M.  Whittier,  Clerk. 


DOMESTIC  DEPARTMENT. 


Steward. 

A.   W.   BOWDEN. 

Matron. 
Miss  M.  C.  Moulton. 
Miss  A.  F.  Cram,  Assistant. 


Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Knowlton. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham. 
Miss  Bessie  Wood. 
Miss  Lizzie  N.  Smith. 


Miss  E.  B.  Webster,  Book-keeper. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


All  persons  who  have  contributed  twenty-five  dollars  to 
the  funds  of  the  Institution,  all  who  have  served  as  trustees 
or  treasurer,  and  all  who  have  been  elected  by  special  vote, 
are  members. 


Agassiz,  Alexander,  Cambridge. 
Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  Boston. 
Amory,  James  S.,  Boston. 
Amory,  William,  Boston. 
Appleton,  T.  G.,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  Robert  E.,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  William,  Boston. 
Austin,  Edward,  Boston. 
Barrows,  Rev.  S.  J.,  Dorchester. 
Beard,  Hon.  Alanson  W.,  Boston. 
Bigelow,  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Blake,  G.  Baty,  Boston. 
Bouve,  Thomas  T.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Brewer,  Thomas  M.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Brewster,  Osmyn,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Hon.  Martin,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Francis,  Boston. 
Brooks,  P.  C,  Boston. 
BuUard,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  P.  W.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  Theophilus  P.,  Brookline. 
Childs,  Alfred  A.,  Boston. 
Claflin,  Hon.  William,  Boston. 
Clapp,  William  W.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Dr.  A.,  Boston. 
Crosby,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Hon.  John,  Woburn. 
Dalton,  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Davis,  James,  Boston. 
Dix,  J.  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Downer,  Samuel,  Dorchester. 


Dwight,  John  S.,  Boston. 
Eliot,  Dr.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Emerson,  George  B.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Francis  F.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Emmons,  Mrs.  Nath'l  R.,  Boston. 
Endicott,  Henry,  Boston. 
Endicott,  William,  jun.,  Boston. 
Fisk,  Rev.  Photius,  Boston. 
Folsom,  Charles  T.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Forbes,  J.  M. ,  Milton. 
Galloupe,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  Charles  P.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George  A.,  Boston. 
Glover,  J.  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Benjamin,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  Delano  A.,  Boston. 
Gray,  Mrs.  Horace,  Boston. 
Gray,  John  C,  Boston. 
Greenleaf,  R.  C,  Boston. 
Hale,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Hardy,  Alpheus,  Brookline. 
Haskell,  Edwin  B.,  Auburndale. 
Higginson,  George,  Boston. 
Higginson,  Henry  Lee,  Boston. 
Hill,  Hon.  Hamilton  A.,  Boston. 
Hilton,  William,  Boston. 
Hogg,  John,  Boston. 
Hooper,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Hooper,  R.  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hovey,  William  A.,  Brookline. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward,  Boston. 
Houghton,  Hon.  H.  O.,  Cambridge, 
Hunnewell,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Hyatt,  Alpheus,  Cambridge. 


8 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Jarvis,  Edward,  M.D.,  Dorchester 
Jones,  J.  M. ,  Boston. 
Kendall,  C  S.,  Boston. 
Kennard,  Martin  P.,  Brookline. 
Kidder,  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Kinsley,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  Longwood. 
Lincoln,  L.  J.  B.,  Hingham. 
Lodge,  Mrs.  J.  E.,  Boston. 
Lord,  Melvin,  Boston. 
Lothrop,  John,  Auburndale. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Lowell,  John  A.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Mack,  Thomas,  Boston. 
May,  Miss  Abby,  Boston. 
May,  F.  W.  G.,  Dorchester. 
Means,  Rev.  J.  H.,  D.D.,  Dorchester. 
Merriam,  Caroline,  Boston. 
Minot,  William,  Boston. 
Montgomery,  Hugh,  Boston. 
Morton,  Edwin,  Boston. 
Motley,  Edward,  Boston. 
Mudge,  Hon.  E.  R.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  Joseph,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Nickerson,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Noyes,  Hon.  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Osborn,  John  T.,  Boston. 
Parker,  H.  D.,  Boston. 
Parkman,  Francis,  Boston. 
Parkman,  George  F.,  Boston. 

Parkman,  Rev.  John,  Boston. 

Parsons,  Thomas,  Chelsea. 

Pay  son,  S.  R.,  Boston. 

Peabody,  Rev.  A.  P.,D.D.,  Camb'ge. 

Peabody,  F.  H.,  Boston. 

Perkins,  Edward  N.,  Jamaica  Plain. 

Perkins,  William,  Boston. 

Peters,  Edward  D.,  Boston. 

Pickman,  W.  D.,  Boston. 

Pierce,  Hon.  H.  L.,  Boston. 

Phillips,  John  C,  Boston. 

Preston,  Jonathan,  Boston. 

Quincy,  Hon.  Josiah,  Wollaston. 

Quiucy,  Samuel  M.,  Wollaston. 

Rice,  Hon.  A.  H.,  Boston. 


Robeson,  W.  R.,  Boston. 
Robinson,  Henry,  Reading. 
Rogers,  Jacob  C,  Boston. 
Ropes,  J.  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Rotch,  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Russell,  Mi-s.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  H.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  Newton. 
Sanborn,  Frank  B.,  Concord. 
Schlesinger,  Sebastian,  Boston. 
Sears,  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Shimmin,  C.  F.,  Boston. 
Shippen,  Rev.  Rush  R.,  Jamaica  PL 
Slack,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Snelling,  Samuel  G.,  Boston. 
Stone,  Joseph  L.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  Francis  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Sturgis,  James,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Taggard,  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  Mrs.  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Thaxter,  Joseph  B.,  Hingham. 
Thayer,  Rev.  George  A.,  Boston. 
Thayer,  Nathaniel,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  S.  Lothrop,  Cambridge. 

Tucker,  Alanson,  Boston. 

Tucker,  W.  W.,  Boston. 

Upton,  George  B.,  Boston. 

Wales,  George  W.,  Boston. 

Wales,  Miss  Mary  Ann,  Boston. 

Wales,  Thomas  B.,  Boston. 

Ware,  Charies  E.,  M.D.,  Boston. 

Washburn,  Hon.  J.  D.,  Worcester. 

Weld,  W.  G.,  Boston. 

Wheelwright,  John  W.,  Boston. 

Wigglesworth,  Edw.,  M.D.,  Boston. 

Wigglesworth,  Miss  Mary,  Boston. 

Wigglesworth,  Thomas,  Boston. 

Wilder,  Hon.  Marshall  P.,  Dorch. 

Winslow,  Mrs.  George,  Roxbury. 

Winsor,  J.  B.,  Providence,  R.I. 

Winthrop,  Hon.  Robert  C,  Boston. 

Wolcott,  J.  H.,  Boston. 

Wolcott,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 

Woods,  Henry,  Paris,  France. 

Worthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 

Young,  Charles  L.,  Boston. 


CommontDcaltf)  of  iWa00ac()U0Ctt0. 


EEPORT  OF  THE  TRUSTEES. 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind. 
South  Boston,  Sept.  30,  1879. 

To  THE  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen,  —  In  compliance  with  the  regulation 
which  requires  our  board  to  lay  before  you,  and,  through 
you,  before  the  legislature,  our  annual  account  of  the 
condition  and  operations  of  the  institution,  we  have 
the  honor  to  present  the  following  report  for  the  year 
ending  Sept.  30,  1879:  — 

It  affords  us  great  pleasure  to  state  at  the  outset  that 
the  general  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  establish- 
ment has  been  good,  and  its  administration  efficient  and 
successful. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  immediately  con- 
nected with  the  institution  in  all  its  departments  —  as 
pupils,  instructors,  and  work  men  and  women,  —  is  162. 

The  health  of  the  pupils  has  been  remarkably  good ; 
their  industry  commendable  ;  theu'  advancement  in  their 
studies  and  occupations  steady,  and  in  many  cases  rapid  ; 


10  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

their  habits  cleanly  and  regular ;  their  disposition  gen- 
erally cheerful ;  and  their  deportment  satisfactory. 

The  institution  has  fully  maintained  the  high  opinion 
which  the  public  has  formed  of  it,  and  the  march  of 
progress  can  be  easily  noticed  in  all  its  departments.  It 
has  never  been  more  complete  in  its  corps  of  instructors, 
or  supplied  with  finer  facilities  for  the  work  of  educa- 
tion, than  it  is  to-day.  Its  teachers  and  officers  are 
heartily  in  sympathy  with  its  aims  and  purposes.  They 
are  thoroughly  imbued  with  its  system  of  instruction  and 
training,  its  traditions,  and  the  noble  spirit  breathed 
into  its  organization  by  its  great  founder,  and  fully  able 
and  determined  to  carry  it  to  the  highest  possible  pouit 
of  excellence  and  usefulness. 

In  the  management  of  the  aifairs  of  the  establish- 
ment our  constant  aim  is  to  enable  the  blind  to  help 
themselves,  and  so  to  render  them  independent  on  the 
one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  to  lighten  as  much  as  possi- 
ble the  burden  which  then-  infirmity  imposes  upon  the 
community. 

There  has  been  but  one  change  in  the  corps  of 
teachers  and  officers;  and  the  same  persons  have  as 
heretofore  directed  the  intellectual  and  moral  traming 
of  the  pupils,  and  have  supphed  their  wants,  and  min- 
istered to 'their  comfort. 

The  members  of  our  board  have  given  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  educational,  financial,  hygienic,  and  all  other 
interests  of  the  institution.  In  the  visits  which  we 
have  made  either  as  committees  or  individually,  we  have 
found  ample  evidence  of  the  cleanliness  and  good  order 
which  reign  throughout  the  establishment,  and  the  ju- 
dicious management  of  all  things  relating  to  the  welfare 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  11 

of  the  pupils,  and  the  care  and  skill  bestowed  upoa 
their  bringing  up. 

Supervision  and  Training  of  the  Pupils. 

The  internal  arrangements  of  the  school  are  such  as 
to  make  supervision  easy  and  effective,  and  the  facilities 
for  a  thorough  classification  according  to  peculiarities  of 
mind  and  character  are  excellent.  In  the  place  of 
those  general  rules  and  inflexible  regulations  necessary 
where  large  numbers  are  to  be  directed,  we  have  less 
of  perceptible  government,  and  more  of  parental  over- 
sight. 

The  highest  objects  of  the  school  are  constantly  kept 
in  view ;  and  we  endeavor  to  secure  and  retain  the  ser- 
vices of  accomplished  and  zealous  teachers  and  officers  ; 
to  provide  improved  appliances,  and  sufficient  apparatus 
for  the  pupils  ;  to  surround  them  with  healthy  influences, 
so  that  their  morals  and  deportment  may  be  carefully 
nurtured ;  to  give  them  opportunities  for  associating  and 
commingling  with  intelligent  and  discreet  seeing  per- 
sons ;  to  discipline  their  minds,  and  not  only  to  furnish 
them  with  useful  knowledge,  but  to  awaken  the  love  of 
all  good  learning ;  and  to  set  before  them  the  highest 
aims,  which  shall  act  as  stimulus  throughout  life. 

Of  the  efficiency  of  our  methods,  and  of  our  success 
in  carrying  them  out,  we  must  leave  you  and  the  friends 
of  the  school  to  judge  by  the  results  of  the  past  year,  as 
well  as  of  its  predecessors. 

Moral  and  Social  Elevation  of  the  Blind. 

In  order  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  value  of 
the  work   accomplished   by  this   institution  during  the 


12  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

past  forty-eight  years,  and  to  show  the  fruit  borne  by 
the  system  of  instruction  and  training  arranged  by  our 
late  director,  and  adopted  by  all  kindred  establishments 
in  the  country,  let  us  turn  back  a  few  pages  of  history, 
and  compare  the  present  condition  of  the  blind  with 
that  of  the  past. 

In  all  ages  and  in  all  countries,  blindness  has  been 
considered  as  the  greatest  of  human  misfortunes,  and 
has  been  associated  with  dependence  and  pauperism. 
There  prevailed  everywhere  a  common  notion  that 
man's  capacity  for  usefulness  ceased  to  exist  with  the 
extinction  of  vision.  When  Belisarius  became  blind,  the 
hand  that  had  upheld  a  falling  empire  was  stretched  out 
for  alms.  Sympathy  and  material  aid  were  generously 
and  even  lavishly  bestowed  upon  sightless  persons  ;  but 
their  ability  for  work  was  denied.  They  were  promptly 
allowed  to  occupy  the  beggar's  post  in  the  churchyards 
and  streets  of  the  large  cities  of  Europe ;  but  they  were 
excluded  from  all  the  benefits  of  schools  and  academies. 
They  were  considered  as  incapacitated,  and  utterly  help- 
less. 

This  popular  opinion  was  cruelly  unjust  to  the  blind, 
and  gratuitously  added  a  vast  amount  of  anguish  to 
their  sore  calamity.  It  segregated  them  from  the  in- 
dustrious classes  of  society.  It  prevented  them  from 
participating  in  the  activities  of  life,  and  from  enjoying 
the  benefits  of  labor.  It  condemned  them  to  idleness 
and  intellectual  darkness,  and  rendered  them  mere 
objects  of  pity  and  charity. 

One  of  the  most  efi"ective  means  which  could  assist 
the  blind  to  rise  above  the  clouds  of  ignorance  and 
prejudice,  to  assert  their  human  attributes,  and  to  rest 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  13 

calmly  in  the  great  realities  of  existence,  was  education, 
and  education  alone.  But  no  one  thought  it  feasible  and 
practicable  in  their  case ;  and  they  received  none  until 
the  year  1784,  when  the  fruit-seeds  were  sowed  by  the 
great  apostle  of  their  cause,  the  celebrated  Abbe  Valen- 
tine Haiiy,  first  in  Paris,  where  he  established  the 
Institution  des  Jeunes  Aveugles,  and  afterward  in  St. 
Petersburg  and  Berlin.  Most  of  these  seeds  were 
planted  in  fertile  and  genial  soil,  and  they  have  multi- 
plied, until  all  the  principal  countries  of  Europe  have 
their  special  institutions  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind 
in  the  rudiments  of  learning,  in  music,  and  in  the  me- 
chanical arts.  These  establishments  have  greatly  con- 
tributed to  the  intellectual  and  moral  development  of 
the  blind,  and  have  laid  the  foundation  for  their  social 
elevation.  But  it  was  not  until  the  work  was  taken 
up  in  this  country,  and  carried  on  under  the  vitalizing 
influence  of  pui-e  democratic  principles,  that  their  right 
to  a  full  share  of  the  means  of  education  accorded  by 
the  state  to  all  the  young  was  asserted,  and  that  the 
barriers  to  social  equality  and  happiness  were  removed. 
It  is  to  the  credit  of  Massachusetts  that  she  has  led 
the  way  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other  benevolent  and 
philanthropic  enterprises.  Having  acknowledged  that 
sightless  children  have  even  stronger  claims  than  seeing 
ones  to  systematic  and  thorough  instruction,  because  they 
start  at  a  disadvantage  in  the  race  of  life,  because  they 
carry  a  heavy  burden  in  their  infirmity,  and  because, 
without  special  intellectual  and  professional  or  mechani- 
cal training,  they  are  not  only  doomed  to  mental  as  well 
as  bodily  darkness,  but  to  certain  poverty  and  depend- 
ence, she  has  adopted  the  policy  of  providing  liberally 


14  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

for  the  education  of  the  blind,  and  has  kept  her  institu- 
tion in  the  front  rank  of  kindred  estabUshments  in  the 
world.  The  blessed  results  of  this  provision  are  shown 
in  scores  and  hundreds  of  blind  persons  scattered  all 
over  New  England,  many  of  them  skilled  and  eminent 
as  music-teachers  and  tuners  of  piano-fortes,  all  getting 
a  good  living,  aspiring  to  mdependence,  and  eager  to 
accept  and  assume  the  responsibilities  of  life  under  the 
same  conditions  as  theu'  more  fortunate  brethren. 

May  we  not  hope  that  the  school  which  has  accom- 
plished so  much  in  the  field  of  justice  and  humanity, 
and  has  proved  to  be  the  most  important  agency  in  the 
social  and  moral  elevation  of  the  blind  of  New  England 
dii'ectly,  and  of  those  of  the  whole  continent  indirectly, 
may  be  aided  to  advance  yet  further  in  the  march  of 
progress  and  enlightenment,  to  increase  its  appliances 
and  apparatus,  and  to  extend  the  circle  of  its  usefulness, 
until  it  shall  stand  like  a  guiding  beacon  all  ablaze  with 
the  light  of  knowledge  and  improvement  for  those  who 
are  under  the  cloud  of  physical  darkness  ? 

FrNANCES. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  Henry  Endicott, 
herewith  presented,  sets  forth  in  a  clear  and  comprehen- 
sive manner  the  receipts  of  money  from  all  sources, 
and  the  disbursements  made  during  the  year,  and  shows 
the  finances  of  the  institution  to  be  in  a  satisfactory 
condition. 

This  exhibit  may  be  summarized  as  follows  :  — 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  15 

Cash  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1878  .         .    $2,649  67 

Total  receipts  during  the  year      .         .    97,359  57* 


100,009  24 
Total  expenditures 99,430  03* 


Cash  balance  in  the  treasury         ....  $579  21 

The  report  of  the  treasurer  is  accompanied  by  the 
usual  analysis  of  the  steward's  accounts,  which  gives 
specific  information  in  regard  to  the  principal  articles 
consumed,  their  amount  and  cost,  and  by  which  both 
the  ordinary  and  extraordinary  expenses  and  resources 
of  the  income  may  be  understood  at  a  glance. 

In  the  management  of  the  financial  affau'S  of  the 
institution  a  system  of  strict  accountability  has  been 
observed.  All  the  funds  are  received  by  the  treasurer, 
who  pays  out  money  as  it  is  wanted  only  upon  the  pres- 
entation of  an  order  from  the  auditors.  The  director 
controls  the  disbursements  ;  but  his  accounts  are  exam- 
ined monthly,  and  vouchers  are  required  for  every  item 
of  expense. 

The  account  of  expenditure  has  been  rigid  and  ex- 
act ;  and  the  funds  of  the  institution  have  been  applied 
with  the  strictest  economy  consistent  with  the  best 
results  and  the  greatest  efficiency  of  the  school.  The 
policy  of  the  trustees  has  always  been  to  spend  nothing 
upon  ornamental  architecture  or  outward  display,  to 
be  frugal  as  regards  expensive  furniture  and  internal 
luxuries,  but  to  be  liberal  in  increasing  the  means,  and 
improving  the  appliances  necessary  for  thorough  in- 
struction and  systematic  training  of  the  pupils. 

The  auditors  have  performed  their  duty  with  regu- 

*  Of  this  amouut  $32,000  belong  to  the  permanent  fund  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  were  merely  changed  from  one  investment  to  another. 


16  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

larity,  promptness,  and  diligence  ;  and  they  certify  that 
the  accounts  are  properly  and  correctly  kept,  and  that 
all  entries  are  authenticated  by  vouchers. 

The  books  are  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  corporation,  and  the  most  careful  examina- 
tion is  solicited. 

Need  of  Funds. 

The  income  of  the  institution  from  state  appropria- 
tions and  from  all  ordinary  sources  is  barely  sufficient  for 
the  pressing  wants  of  the  year.  Applied  with  prudence 
and  with  the  strictest  economy,  it  enables  us  to  carry 
out  the  general  purpose  of  educating  the  blind.  But, 
in  order  to  extend  the  operations  and  influence  of  the 
establishment,  and  to  render  it  a  perennial  fountain  of 
blessing,  an  exhaustless  source  of  intellectual  and  moral 
light,  an  instrument  of  good  and  happiness  to  its  bene- 
ficiaries, additional  funds  are  greatly  needed.  For  these 
we  place  entire  reliance  upon  the  contributions  of  indi- 
viduals who  are  blessed  with  the  means,  and  thrice 
blessed  with  a  disposition  to  aid  in  works  of  benevo- 
lence. Without  this  assistance,  the  value  of  the  school 
as  an  agency  in  developing  and  diversifying  the  powers 
of  the  blind,  and  in  raising  them  to  the  rank  of  indus- 
trious and  productive  members  of  society,  cannot  be 
mamtained,  and  its  usefulness  would  be  sadly  circum- 
scribed. 

The  prevailing  idea  that  the  institution  is  richly 
endowed  and  well  provided  for  is  utterly  groundless ; 
and  we  doubt  not  that  a  knowledge  of  its  real  condi- 
tion and  wants,  and  of  its  mission,  will  obtain  for  it  a 
share  of  the  gifts  and  bequests  which  are  so  numerous 
in  our  community. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  17 

To  the  generosity  and  sense  of  justice  of  the  citizens 
of  Massachusetts  in  general,  and  of  those  of  Boston  in 
particular,  belongs  the  honor  of  having  kindled  in 
America  the  Promethean  fire  of  enlightenment  for  the 
blind,  and  of  raising  them  in  the  scale  of  humanity  and 
social  equality  ;  and  to  them  we  must  continue  to  look 
for  aid  in  the  furtherance  of  our  work. 

Repairs  and  Improvements. 

Some  of  the  most  urgently  needed  repairs  and  im- 
provements have  been  made  during  the  past  year,  with 
a  view  to  keeping  the  buildings  in  good  condition,  and 
increasing  the  general  efficiency  of  the  establishment. 
The  principal  of  these  are  as  follows  :  — 

The  main  building  has  been  thoroughly  and  tastefully 
painted  outside,  and,  while  its  general  appearance  has 
been  greatly  improved,  the  preservation  of  those  por- 
tions liable  to  decay  has  been  secured.  The  fences 
around  it  have  also  been  painted. 

The  music-hall  has  been  entirely  renovated,  and  put 
in  excellent  condition.  A  new  stage  has  been  built ; 
the  gallery  has  been  raised  higher  than  before,  and  its 
capacity  doubled ;  the  floors  have  been  relaid  with 
southern  hard  pine ;  the  ceiling  and  the  walls  neatly 
repainted  in  fresco;  the  heating  apparatus  has  been 
remodelled ;  and  new  hard-wood  settees  have  replaced 
the  old  ones. 

The  large  room  under  the  music-hall,  formerly  used 
as  a  printing-office,  has  been  transformed  into  a  commo- 
dious library.  The  walls  and  ceiling  have  been  replas- 
tered  and  repainted,  and  the  latter  has  been  refrescoed, 
the  floor  relaid  with  southern  hard  pine,  and  the  whole 


18  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

of  the  wood-work  repaired  and  repainted.  Black- 
walnut  cases  for  books,  minerals,  and  various  models, 
and  convenient  accommodations  for  all  kinds  of  speci- 
mens and  educational  apparatus,  have  been  amply  pro- 
vided. 

The  old  library  has  been  changed  into  a  spacious 
schoolroom,  supplied  with  the  best  kind  of  furniture  for 
young  childi'en,  with  complete  sets  of  both  dissected  and 
wall  maps,  and  with  the  necessary  facilities  for  kinder- 
garten and  object  classes. 

The  floors  of  the  corridors  of  the  third  and  fourth 
stories,  and  of  several  of  the  rooms,  have  been  relaid 
with  southern  pine ;  and  staircases  have  been  built  at 
both  ends  of  the  north  side  of  the  latter,  leading  to  the 
attic,  so  that,  in  case  of  fire,  there  are  abundant  means 
of  exit. 

A  new  boiler  has  been  made  to  order,  and  placed  in 
the  underground  vault  built  for  the  purpose  last  year. 

Many  other  alterations  and  improvements  of  a  minor 
character  have  been  made  during  the  year.  They  con- 
sist in  paving  the  drive-way  on  the  south  side  of  the 
main  building  with  concrete ;  in  rebuilding  both  the 
staircases  leading  to  the  music-hall ;  in  takmg  off 
the  paper  from  the  walls  of  the  corridors  and  of  seven 
rooms,  and  painting  them  over ;  in  increasing  and  per- 
fecting the  means  of  ventilation ;  replacing  the  old  com- 
position roof  on  the  west  side  of  the  building,  and  the 
slate  roofs  of  the  piazzas,  by  tin  ones ;  renewing  the 
sashes  of  eighty-five  windows ;  thoroughly  repairing 
the  piazzas,  copper  gutters,  and  fences ;  and  putting  the 
premises  generally  in  as  good  condition  as  the  means  at 
our  disposal  have  allowed  us  to  do. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  19 

These  repairs  and  improvements  have  been  both 
extensive  and  expensive,  and  we  were  aware  that  they 
would  drain  our  treasury  entirely;  but,  as  they  were 
obviously  needed  for  the  preservation  of  the  buildings 
and  for  the  good  of  the  institution,  they  have  been 
undertaken  without  hesitation.  They  are  of  a  perma- 
nent character,  supplying  urgent  wants,  and  calculated 
to  promote  the  tone  of  the  school.  Whatever  tends  to 
increase  the  comfort,  convenience,  pleasantness,  neat- 
ness, and  orderly  appearance  of  such  an  establishment, 
serves  also  a  high  moral  purpose. 

The  building  has  stood  forty-thi-ee  years  in  a  very 
exposed  situation,  and  naturally  subjected  to  rough 
usage  by  its  young  inmates,  and  there  is  an  absolute 
necessity  for  the  continuance  of  this  process  of  renova- 
tion until  its  interior  is  put  in  excellent  condition. 
Worn  floors,  decayed  window-frames,  shaky  sashes, 
loose  plastering,  soiled  wall-paper,  impaired  graining 
and  painting,  all  will  have  to  be  replaced  or  repaired, 
and  made  sound.  An  extra  appropriation  is  sorely 
needed  for  this  purpose ;  but,  as  cu'cumstances  do  not 
seem  auspicious  for  asking  for  one,  we  shall  depend 
upon  the  friends  of  the  blind  for  assistance,  and  shall 
exercise  rigid  economy  in  the  expenditure  of  the  annual 
income  of  the  institution,  so  that  we  may  be  able  to 
carry  on  the  work  of  reconstruction. 

Embossing  Books  for  the  Blind. 

During  the  past  year  our  press  has  been  constantly  at 
work,  and  a  new  edition  of  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost " 
has  been  printed.  According  to  the  uniform  testimony 
of  experts,  this  edition  is,  in  point  of  legibility  and  me- 


20  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

chanical  execution,  by  far  the  best  work  issued  in  the 
line  character.  As  soon  as  it  was  completed,  Higgin- 
son's  "  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States," 
specially  revised  and  adapted  for  our  purposes  by  the 
author  himself,  was  printed  and  electrotyped  at  the 
expense  of  one  of  the  kind  and  generous  friends  and 
benefactors  of  the  blind,  with  the  condition  that  his 
name  should  be  withheld.  May  others  imitate  his 
benevolent  liberality  until  intellectual  light  and  knowl- 
edge shall  be  within  the  reach  of  every  blind  person  in 
our  land ! 

The  plan  of  furnishing  the  blind  of  America  with  a 
choice  library  in  raised  characters  origmated  in  this  in- 
stitution ;  and  all  the  real  and  substantial  improvements 
made  on  Haiiy's  invention  of  embossing  books,  and  on 
the  modes  of  constructing  apparatus  adapted  to  the 
sense  of  touch,  were  instituted  and  carried  out  here. 
This  enterprise  engaged  the  attention,  and  absorbed  the 
thoughts  of  the  great  founder  of  the  school,  as  soon  as 
the  establishment  was  organized  in  1832,  and  it  re«- 
mained  the  object  nearest  to  his  heart  through  life. 

Dr.  Howe  commenced  the  work  without  aid  or  en- 
couragement from  any  direction,  and  pursued  it  with  all 
the  energy  and  ardent  enthusiasm  which  characterized 
him  in  all  his  philanthropic  undertakings.  He  advanced 
the  money  for  the  first  experiments,  and  never  asked 
remuneration.  The  means  at  his  command  were  very 
limited,  and  the  obstacles  often  disheartening ;  but  his 
faith  in  the  beneficent  eff'ects  of  the  enterprise  was  so 
strong,  that  it  inspired  him  with  courage  and  hopeful- 
ness in  the  midst  of  difficulties.  There  was  nothing 
that  went  so  against  the   grain  of  his  chivalrous  nature 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  2T.  21 

as  asking  favors.  For  his  own  benefit,  he  could  never 
do  it.  But,  ha^dng  determined  not  to  rest  until  a  library 
of  select  books  was  provided  for  the  blind,  he  went  on 
toiling  for  this  object  to  the  last  of  his  life.  In  all 
his  conceptions  and  plans  on  this  as  well  as  on  any 
other  subject,  his  motto  was  "  semper  aliqidd  melius; "  and 
his  unremitting  efforts  met  with  remarkable  success. 

Our  printing-office  was  removed  last  spring  to  its 
new  quarters,  and  has  been  entu-ely  renovated  in  all  its 
appliances  and  machinery. 

Type  of  both  the  Boston  and  Braille  characters,  cases, 
tables,  steam-engine,  and  various  fixtures,  have  all  been 
made  new ;  and  an  improved  platen-press,  planned  by 
the  officers  of  the  institution,  and  manufactured  by  Mr. 
Francis  Meisel  of  South  Boston,  has  replaced  the  old 
one.  Thus  our  printing-establishment  is  now  in  perfect 
order,  well  supplied  with  extensive  and  costly  apparatus, 
and  we  are  very  desirous  that  the  work  of  embossing 
books  for  the  blind  should  be  carried  on  uninterrupt- 
edly and  vigorously  where  it  originated  and  has  been 
developed  to  maturity. 

For  the  continuance  of  this  truly  great  undertaking, 
and  for  the  multiplication  of  books  in  raised  characters, 
we  earnestly  call  for  the  aid  of  the  benevolent.  The 
appeal  is  a  strong  one,  and.  Were  it  well  considered  by 
humane  persons,  it  would  be  u'resistible  ;  for  it  is  a  call 
of  the  blind  to  the  seeing  for  light  which  they  can  give. 
It  cannot  be  difficult  for  feeling  hearts  to  conceive  the 
rapture  of  a  sightless  person  on  finding  that  means  are 
provided  by  which  he  can  cheer  his  solitude,  and  pass 
pleasantly  and  usefully  the  hours  which  before  were 
wont  to  di'ag  their  slow  length  along  in  sadness  and 
listlessness. 


22  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Work  Department  for  Adults. 

This  department  has  been  kept  steadily  in  operation, 
and  supplied  with  a  fair  amount  of  work,  during  the  past 
year. 

The  receipts  from  all  sources  amount  to  $12,371.24, 
exceeding  by  $343.50  those  of  the  previous  twelve 
months.  The  expenses  for  all  purposes  have  been 
$14,378.86  ;  so  that  the  balance  against  the  department 
has  been  increased  to  $1,890.47,  whereas  $1,711.74 
were  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  institution  the 
previous  year. 

There  have  been  twenty  blind  persons  employed  to 
do  the  work,  and  the  amount  of  wages  paid  to  them  was 
$3,136.31. 

That  the  condition  of  our  trade  is  somewhat  improved 
is  sufficiently  shown  by  our  books.  They  indicate 
plainly  the  growth  of  the  business  during  the  past  five 
months  as  compared  with  the  transactions  of  the  same 
period  in  the  preceding  year.  But  the  fact  that  the 
work  department  is  a  losing  concern,  entailing  a  heavy 
burden  upon  the  limited  means  of  the  institution,  re- 
mains still  unaltered.  This  state  of  things  cannot  go  on 
indefinitely,  and  unless  relief  is  afforded,  either  by  the 
increase  of  patronage,  or  in  the  form  of  a  permanent 
fund,  —  the  income  of  which  may  be  sufficient  to  pay 
the  rent  of  a  store  and  the  salaries  of  its  employes, — 
the  existence  of  the  workshop  must  become  doubtful, 
and  the  continuance  of  its  blessings  to  so  many  active 
and  respectable  persons  problematic. 

The  industrial  department  has  never  been,  nor  is  it 
intended  to  be,  a  source  of  gain  to  the  institution :  on 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  23 

the  contrary,  large  sums  of  money  have  at  various  times 
been  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  latter  for  its  im- 
■  provements  and  support.  It  is  wholly  maintained  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  work  there.  Through  its  agency 
many  sightless  persons  have  been  enabled,  not  only  to 
become  self-supporting,  but  to  secure  for  themselves,  by 
diligence  and  thrift,  the  comforts  of  home  and  the 
inestimable  enjoyments  of  domestic  life. 

It  is  highly  desirable  to  prevent  a  class  of  our  fellow- 
men  from  being  deprived  of  such  a  boon,  and  most  of 
them  from  being  thrown  into  the  poor-houses ;  and  we 
would  improve  this  opportunity  to  make  known  the 
importance  of  our  industrial  department,  and  to  ear- 
nestly solicit  the  patronage  of  the  public  for  it.  We 
warrant  that  our  work  is  thoroughly  and  faithfully  done, 
and  put  at  the  lowest  possible  market-prices,  and  that 
the  materials  are  carefully  selected,  and  are  of  the  best 
quality.  Those  who  make  their  pui'chases  at  our  store 
may  be  sure  that  the  authorities  of  the  institution  feel 
under  obligation  to  give  in  return  the  full  value  of 
the  money  they  receive,  and  that  they  are  assisting  in 
the  most  appropriate  way  meritorious  persons  who  are 
striving  by  industry  to  obtain  an  honest  subsistence. 

Prompt  attention  will  be  given  to  the  execution  of 
all  orders,  which  may  be  left  at  the  salesrooms  of  the 
institution.  No.  37  Avon  street,  for  new  mattresses, 
comforters,  bolsters,  pillows,  and  feather-beds;  for  dress- 
ing, cleansing,  and  re-upholstering  all  kinds  of  parlor 
furniture ;  for  reseating  cane-bottomed  chairs ;  for  sup- 
plying churches  and  vessels  with  cushions ;  for  brooms, 
brushes,  door-mats,  and  the  like.  Orders  for  all  these 
articles,  as  well  as  for  tuning  piano-fortes,  will  be  wel- 


24  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

come,  and  will  help  to  sustain  an  establishment,  the 
existence  of  which  is  of  immense  practical  value  to 
the  industrious  blind  dkectly,  and  to  the  community 
itself  indirectly. 

Recognition  of  the  Work  of  the  Institution. 

The  bestowal  of  those  marks  of  approbation  which 
are  awarded  at  the  great  world  festivals,  or  interna- 
tional expositions,  is  a  subject  of  congratulation  to  the 
friends  of  the  institution.  These  awards  not  only  draw 
popular  attention  to  the  work  which  the  establishment 
aims  at  carrying  on,  but  also  (which  is  far  more  impor- 
tant) testify  to  the  success  of  our  endeavors  and  to 
the  excellence  of  then-  results.  Premiums  have  been 
decreed  to  this  institution  by  the  juries  of  every  one 
of  the  great  expositions  thus  far  held  in  London,  Paris, 
Vienna,  and  Philadelphia.  The  medal  last  received 
from  Europe  was  that  granted  by  the  French  exposi- 
tion of  1878,  and  was  awarded  for  embossed  books, 
tangible  apparatus,  and  pupils'  fancy  work.  Three 
medals  were  also  received  at  the  mechanics'  fair  held 
in  this  city  last  year,  —  one  of  gold,  for  embossed  books, 
maps,  and  tangible  appliances  for  the  use  of  the  blind  ; 
one  of  silver,  for  mattresses,  bolsters,  and  upholstery 
work ;  and  one  of  bronze,  for  a  horse-shoe  invented  by 
Mr.  Dennis  A.  Reardon,  formerly  a  pupil,  and  now  an 
employe,  of  the  institution.  Mr.  Reardon  is  a  man  of 
rare  mechanical  ability.  His  inventions  bear  the  stamp 
of  originality  and  the  evidences  of  a  powerful  mind. 
His  talents  are  found  to  be  of  great  service  everywhere 
in  our  establishment,  but  most  especially  in  our  print- 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  25 

ing-office,  of  which,  he  has  a  general  supervision.  In 
the  words  of  the  director,  "  His  mechanical  genius, 
power  of  putting  perfection  into  the  minutest  details, 
and  love  of  the  simple  and  beautiful,  are  remarka- 
ble mental  characteristics,  and  are  of  great  use  in  the 
planning  and  execution  of  our  improvements  in  the 
best  and  most  economical  manner.  It  is  a  striking 
instance  of  the  power  of  the  mind  to  overleap  out- 
ward barriers,  that,  where  experienced  workmen  have 
been  baffled  by  mechanical  difficulties  and  unforeseen 
obstructions,  his  keen  insight  and  correct  judgment 
have  invariably  found  a  way  out  of  every  dilemma." 

The  system  of  electric  bells  which  are  placed  in 
different  parts  of  the  establishment,  and  rung  simulta- 
neously by  a  clock,  is  not  the  least  of  Mr.  Reardon's 
inventions  ;  and  the  perfection  of  our  new  press,  m  the 
planning  of  which  he  has  had  a  prominent  part,  is 
another  proof  of  his  mechanical  genius. 

General  Remarks. 

It  is  a  source  of  no  small  gratification  to  be  able  to 
assure  the  friends  and  patrons  of  the  institution  of  its 
continued  prosperity  and  usefulness,  and  of  the  satis- 
factory results  of  its  labors. 

Every  year  bears  fresh  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the 
establishment  meets  an  important  need  in  our  educa- 
tional system,  and  that  it  holds  its  place  worthily 
among  the  public  schools,  which  stand  like  monuments 
to  the  intelligence  and  the  generous  and  humane  spuit 
which  abound  in  our  community. 

It  has  been  our  aim  and  effort  at  all  times  to  keep 


26  INSTITUTION   FOR  THE  BLIND.         [Oct. 

pace  •  with  the  advance  of  science  in  education,  and  to 
obtain  every  thing  which  may  tend  to  increase  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  school,  and  add  to  the  comfort  and  happi- 
ness of  the  household. 

We  earnestly  invite  the  members  of  the  legislative 
bodies  of  Massachusetts  and  of  the  other  New-England 
states,  the  executive  and  other  public  officers,  and  all 
citizens  interested  in  the  cause  of  education  in  general, 
and  in  the  welfare  of  the  blind  in  particular,  to  visit  the 
institution,  and  satisfy  themselves  by  personal  exami- 
nation of  the  results  of  its  work.  They  will  be  pleased 
to  see  how  successful  have  been  the  means  conceived 
by  benevolence,  developed  by  study,  and  perfected  by 
science,  to  alleviate  calamity,  and  render  the  path  of 
life  smooth  to  those  who  walk  in  darkness.  They  wiU 
not  find  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  or  any  parade  of  grand 
results,  or  pompous  show  of  magnificent  achievements ; 
but  they  will  perceive  that  with  calm  and  silent  potency 
the  work  is  gradually  but  certainly  carried  forward. 

For  the  continuance  of  the  support  and  prosperity  of 
the  institution,  for  the  increase  of  its  usefulness,  and 
for  the  full  realization  of  its  highest  aims  and  purposes, 
we  trust  in  the  goodness  of  the  cause  it  represents,  in 
the  fahness  of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  the 
liberality  of  those  who  have  the  stewardship  of  riches, 
and  the  humanity  and  benevolence  of  the  pubhc. 

In  conclusion,  the  trustees  refer  you  to  the  report  of 
the  director,  which  is  hereto  appended,  and  which  gives 
an  account  of  the  present  condition  of  the  various  de- 
partments of  the  institution,  of  the  work  that  has  been 
accomplished  or  maugurated  during  the  year,  and  the 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  27 

results  which  are  being  attained  in  this  most  interesting 
field  of  human  culture. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

EGBERT  E.    APTHORP, 
JOHN   S.   DWIGHT, 
JOSEPH   B.   GLOVER, 
J.   THEODORE   HEARD, 
HENRY  LEE   HIGGINSON, 
JAMES   H.   MEANS, 
ANDREW   P.    PEABODY, 
EDWARD   N.    PERKINS, 
J  OS  I  AH   QUINCY, 
.SAMUEL   G.    SNELLING, 
JAMES   STURGIS, 
GEORGE  W.   WALES, 

Trustees. 

South  Boston,  Oct.  8,  1879. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  summoned  accord- 
ing to  the  by-laws,  and  held  this  day  at  the  institution,  the  fore- 
going was  adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  printed,  together  with  the 
reports  of  the  director  and  treasurer  and  the  usual  accompan}-- 
ing  documents  ;   and  the  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  were  elected. 

M.   ANAGNOS,   Secretary. 


28  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


THE  EEPORT  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To  THE  Trustees. 

Gentlemen^  —  It  has  again  become  my  duty  to  submit 
to  your  consideration  the  report  of  the  director  for  the 
last  twelve  months.  It  contains  a  brief  statement  of 
the  history  and  present  condition  of  the  institution  and 
of  its  wants  and  prospects,  and  touches  upon  such  sub- 
jects as  are  germane  to  the  education  of  the  blind. 

The  period  covered  by  this  report  has  been  one  of 
general  prosperity.  The  great  objects  for  which  the 
school  was  founded  have  been  steadily  and  successfully 
pursued,  and  no  untoward  incident  has  occurred  to 
interrupt  the  flow  of  its  beneficence,  or  to  call  for 
special  remarks. 

The  various  departments  of  the  institution  have  been 
carried  on  with  regularity  and  efiiciency,  and  all  the 
teachers  and  officers  have  performed  their  duties  cheer- 
fully and  faithfully. 

The  scholars  have  been  obedient,  orderly,  dutiful, 
and  industrious.  The  recitations  have  been  conducted 
with  intelligence,  zeal,  and  profit.  The  spirit  of  true 
politeness  and  civility  has  been  carefully  cultivated  and 
generally  practised,  and  the  moral  training  has  occupied 
as  prominent  a  place  as  the  intellectual.  There  has 
been  no  weariness  on  the  part  of  teachers  and  officers  in 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  29 

instilling  into  the  minds  of  the  pupils  such  principles  as 
will  render  them  happy  and  useful  beings. 

The  fruits  of  the  labors  of  the  past  year  in  the  field 
of  instruction  and  training  are  as  gratifying  as  those  of 
any  of  its  predecessors,  and  the  progress  made  by  our 
pupils  is  as  satisfactory  as  ever.  Then*  daily  advance- 
ment may  not  be  perceptible  ;  yet,  as  weeks  and  months 
succeed  each  other,  we  have  sufficient  evidence  that 
their  progress  is  substantial  and  real.  This  is  seen  in 
the  gradual  lightening  up  of  the  countenance,  in  the 
awakened  love  of  knowledge,  and  especially  in  the 
increased  ability  to  express  their  thoughts  with  fluency 
and  clearness. 

Whatever  changes  mature  e'xperience  has  suggested 
in  the  methods  of  instruction  and  training  have  been 
promptly  adopted,  and  expedients  have  been  constantly 
devised  for  reaching  more  surely  and  rapidly  the  desired 
results. 

Our  educational  means  and  appliances  have  been 
multiplied,  new  apparatus  of  various  kinds  have  been 
obtained,  and  the  collections  of  models  and  specimens 
have  been  extended ;  and  the  institution  is  at  present  in 
a  fair  condition  to  carry  out  in  most  respects  the  plans 
and  desires  of  its  great  founder,  who  labored  assiduously 
and  enthusiastically  for  nearly  half  a  century  in  shaping 
its  policy,  and  placing  its  activity  upon  a  broad  and 
permanent  basis. 

During  the  past  year  the  school  has  been  visited  by 
thousands  of  citizens  from  Boston  and  the  neighboring 
towns,  from  the  New-England  states,  and  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  It  has  also  been  the  subject  of  several 
newspaper  and  magazine  articles  from  the  pen  of  well- 


80  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

known  writers,  one  of  the  latter  being  illustrated  by 
artists  of  real  merit.  This  attention  furnishes  ample 
evidence  that  the  establishment  has  a  permanent  hold 
on  the  affections  of  the  public,  and  stimulates  those  who 
carry  on  its  beneficent  work  to  increased  eff"orts  for  the 
instruction  and  social  and  moral  elevation  of  that  por- 
tion of  the  children  of  New  England  who  cannot  be  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools. 

Number  of  Inmates. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected  with  the 
institution  at  the  beginning  of  the  past  year  as  pupils, 
teachers,  employes,  and  work  men  and  women,  was  158. 
There  have  since  been  admitted  26  ;  22  have  been  dis- 
charged, making  the  present  total  number  162.  Of 
these,  142  are  in  the  school  proper,  and  20  in  the  work- 
department  for  adults. 

The  first  class  includes  130  boys  and  girls  enrolled  as 
pupils,  8  teachers,  and  4  domestics.  Of  the  pupils 
there  are  now  67  boys  and  47  ghls  in  attendance,  9  of 
the  former  and  7  of  the  latter  being  absent  on  account 
of  physical  disability,  or  from  other  causes. 

The  second  class  comprises  17  men  and  3  women 
employed  in  the  workshop  for  adult  blind  persons. 

The  number  of  the  inmates  is  slowly  but  surely 
increasing.  No  applicant  of  the  proper  age,  of  good 
moral  character,  and  of  ordinary  intelligence,  is  refused 
admission :  on  the  contrary,  all  who  seem  to  be  fit  sub- 
jects for  the  school  are  promptly  received  on  probation, 
and  retained  or  discharged  after  a  fair  and  patient  trial. 
With  the  repairs  and  improvements  of  the  last  two 
years,  the  capacity  of  our  buildings  has  been  sufiiciently 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  31 

increased  to  accommodate  the  blind  children  from 
Massachusetts  and  the  neighboring  states  for  many 
years  to  come,  and  no  one  will  be  refused  admittance 
for  want  of  room. 

Success  of  Graduates. 

The  result  of  the  work  of  the  institution  can  be  seen 
in  a  widely  extended  substratum  of  solid  character  and 
intelligence  among  its  beneficiaries.  It  has  been  to 
them  a  nursery  of  usefulness,  happiness,  and  good  citi- 
zenship, tending  as  it  does,  by  means  of  the  most  health- 
ful influences,  to  remove  the  obstacles  and  obliterate  the 
eifects  flowing  from  the  loss  of  sight.  It  has  raised 
most  of  them  to  positions  of  trust  and  profit  from  which 
they  must  otherwise  have  been  excluded  ;  and  it  is  very 
gratifying  to  receive  from  time  to  time  favorable  ac- 
counts of  hundi'eds  of  our  former  pupUs  scattered  over 
all  parts  of  New  England,  industrious,  intelligent,  re- 
spected members  of  society,  bright  examples  of  the 
extent  to  which  so  sad  an  affliction  can  be  relieved,  and 
of  the  priceless  blessing  which  the  school  has  already 
conferred  upon  the  class  of  people  for  whose  good  it 
was  established. 

Sanitary  Condition. 

The  health  of  the  pupils  has  been  remarkably  good, 
considering  that  some  are  afflicted  with  hereditary  dis- 
ease, and  not  a  few  constitutionally  weak  and  delicate. 

No  epidemic  of  any  kind  has  prevailed,  and  no  cases 
of  death  or  severe  illness  have  occurred  at  the  institution 
itself.  Edward  O'Neil  of  South  Boston  was  taken  sick 
with  brain-fever  on  the  day  of  the  commencement  of 


32  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  term,  and  died  soon  after,  lamented  by  all  who  knew 
him ;  but  he  was  not  a  member  of  our  household.  He 
was  a  day  scholar,  living  at  home,  under  the  care  of  his 
relatives,  and  coming  to  school  for  his  lessons  as  ordinary 
children  do. 

This  enjoyment  of  uninterrupted  health  is  mainly  due 
to  our  system  of  training  and  our  dietary,  coupled  with 
proper  hygienic  regulations,  and  sustained  by  sanitary 
surroundings.  No  one  object  receives  more  attention 
in  this  institution  than  that  of  carefully  and  wisely  guard- 
ing against  any  and  all  influences  that  would  impair 
or  endanger  the  health  of  the  household.  If  there  are 
not  more  cases  of  pale  fates,  sallow  cheeks,  drowsy  minds, 
and  languid  bodies,  it  is  simply  because  the  officers  and 
teachers  have  a  watchful  care  over  the  habits  of  the 
pupils.  They  prevent  imprudent  and  thoughtless  ex- 
posure, insist  upon  regular  hours  of  sleep,  recreation, 
and  work,  interdict  inflammatory  reading,  and  impress 
most  tenderly  and  judiciously,  yet  candidly  and  forcibly, 
warnings  against  secret  vices. 

The  sanitary  measures  of  an  institution  of  learning 
constitute  the  foundation  upon  which  is  raised  the  struc- 
ture of  its  educational  system,  and  the  reasons  for  this 
are  obvious.  For  any  kind  of  intellectual  work  it  is 
indispensable  that  the  mind  should  be  alive,  awake, 
fresh,  in  full  force  and  exercise.  But  mental  vigor  and 
activity  depend  wholly  upon  physical  health.  The 
brain  —  which  is  the  material  instrument  of  the  mind, 
and  which  gives  rise  to  all  the  intellectual,  emotional, 
and  voluntary  activities  of  mankind  —  obeys  the  same 
laws  of  nourishment,  growth,  exercise,  and  rest,  as  the 
other  organs  of  the  body.     It  is  developed  gradually. 


1879.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  33 

It  cannot  arrive  at  healthy  maturity,  or  acquii-e  an  in- 
creased susceptibility  of  action  and  the  power  of  sustain- 
ing it,  without  the  assistance  of  a  good  supply  of  pure 
blood ;  and  this  is  only  the  legitimate  product  of  whole- 
some food,  fresh  air,  and  regular  exercise.  Hence  a 
well-noui-ished  and  vigorous  body  is  the  proper  basis  for 
mental  discipline  and  intellectual  culture.  It  is  a  source 
of  pleasure  and  a  factor  of  happiness.  It  is  a  perennial 
fountain  of  soul-lifting  cheerfulness,  which  makes  the 
mind  clear,  gives  tone  to  thought,  adds  grace  and  beauty 
to  the  countenance,  lifts  the  clouds  of  sorrow,  lightens 
the  burdens  of  misfortune,  and  lights  up  the  intellectual 
horizon  of  those  who  are  not  permitted  to  look  upon  the 
beauties  and  grandeur  of  surrounding  nature. 

It  is  obvious  from  the  above  remarks  that  health  is 
the  greatest  blessing  that  can  be  bestowed  upon  the 
inmates  of  an  educational  establishment,  and  that  its 
conservation  merits  the  perpetual  and  increasing  atten- 
tion which  it  receives  here. 

Statistics  concerning  Blindness. 

Of  the  tweiity-six  inmates  admitted  during  the  past 
year  to  this  institution,  six  lost  theii-  sight  by  accident, 
two  by  whooping-cough,  two  by  scarlet-fever,  four  by 
cataract,  two  by  the  effects  of  a  severe  cold,  one  by 
Avater  on  the  brain  during  infancy,  two  by  measles,  one 
by  paralysis  of  the  optic  nerve,  one  by  granulated  lids, 
one  by  ophthalmia  neonatorum,  and  four  were  either 
born  blind.;  or  with  impaired  vision  and  a  tendency  to  its 
gradual  loss.  Thus  in  six  cases  blindness  had  been 
caused  by  accident,  in  ten  by  disease,  and  in  ten  it  was 


34  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

hereditary  or  organic,  that  is  to    say,  was    the  visible 
effect  of  some  latent  general  physical  disorder. 

Although  the  main  object  of  an  institution  like  ours 
is  to  educate  the  blind,  and  prepare  them  effectually  for 
the  struggle  of  life,  it  is  also  very  important  to  carry  on 
those  lines  of  investigation  and  research  for  which  a 
school  of  the  kind  affords  such  ample  scope  and  mate- 
rial. In  our  own  establishment  this  object  has  always 
been  considered  of  great  value,  and  we  continue  to  keep 
a  concise  record  of  the  history,  parentage,  antecedents, 
mental  and  moral  calibre,  hereditary  taints,  physical 
weaknesses,  and  peculiarities  of  character  and  disposi- 
tion of  each  case,  and  to  gather  and  file  away  as  many 
facts  concerning  blindness  and  its  effects  as  we  can 
obtain. 

These  materials,  added  to  the  accumulation  of  past 
and  successive  experience  elsewhere,  and  reduced  to 
proper  scientific  form  by  comparison,  classification,  de- 
duction, verification,  and  generalization,  will  be  of  great 
service  in  two  ways :  — 

First,  they  will  bring  to  light  the  nature  and  char- 
acter of  some  of  the  prolific  causes  of  blindness,  and 
suggest  the  means  which  may  be  employed  to  guard 
against  these  causes  effectually. 

Secondlf/,  they  will  call  attention  to  the  best  agencies 
for  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  blind,  and  indicate 
the  laws  which  should  regulate  their  education. 

The  value  of  these  statistics  will  be  enhanced  in  pro- 
portion to  the  extent  of  the  territory  where  they  are 
gathered.  The  wdder  the  range,  the  more  trustworthy 
are  the  results  of  comparison.  The  different  phases  of 
SQcial  life,  the  tendency  to  intermarriage,  the  homoge- 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  35 

neous  or  heterogeneous  nature  of  the  population,  the 
segregation  or  intermixture  of  dissimilar  races,  the  moral 
and  intellectual  status  of  divers  communities,  and  the 
climatic  influences  of  various  countries,  all  have  more 
or  less  direct  bearing  upon  the  degree  of  soundness  or 
defectiveness  of  the  people;  and  the  field  of  research 
must  be  vastly  extended  in  order  to  ascertain  the  real 
strength  of  each  factor,  and  to  reach  correct  and  weighty 
conclusions. 

For  these  reasons,  it  is  highly  desirable  that  there 
should  be  adopted  by  all  the  institutions  for  the  blind  in 
this  and  all  other  countries  a  general  system  of  collect- 
ing and  recording  facts  concerning  blindness  and  its 
physiological  and  psychological  effects,  and  that  a  synop- 
sis of  these  statistics,  arranged  in  a  tabular  form,  should 
be  published  in  their  reports. 

Means  and  Effects  of  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

The  system  of  education  and  training  for  the  blind 
adopted  in  this  institution,  although  far  from  being  per- 
fect, is  as  complete  as  can  be  attained  by  the  means  at 
our  command.  It  is  broad  in  its  scope,  and  comprehen- 
sive in  its  purposes.  It  is  methodically  arranged,  and 
embraces  an  ascending  chain  of  exercises.  It  provides 
for  the  gradual  development  of  the  mental  faculties  in 
their  natural  order,  for  the  improvement  of  the  moral 
character  by  all  possible  incentives  to  well-doing,  for 
sesthetic  culture  which  shall  nurture  taste,  and  lead  to 
the  appreciation,  if  not  the  creation,  of  the  beautiful, 
for  physical  growth  and  well-being  by  means  of  care- 
ful exercise  of  the  muscles  of  the  body  and  by  special 
training  of  the  hand  to  dexterity. 


36  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  noble  founder  of  this  institution  was  a  great 
believer  in  the  influences  of  education  and  in  man's 
capacity  for  improvement.  His  conception  of  the  heau- 
idenl  of  human  nature  was  that  of  a  being  whose  intel- 
lectual faculties  were  active  and  enlightened,  his  senti- 
ments dignified  and  firm,  and  his  physical  formation 
healthy  and  beautiful ;  and  he  devoted  his  genius  and 
his  rare  qualities  of  head  and  heart  to  the  organization 
of  a  system  of  instruction  and  training  for  the  blind 
which  should  bring  them  as  near  as  possible  to  this 
ideal,  and  should  enable  them  to  utilize  all  those  sources 
of  happiness  which  nature  supplies,  to  find  out  how  to 
use  their  faculties  to  the  greatest  advantage  to  them- 
selves and  others,  and  to  learn  how  to  live  completely. 
In  order  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  Dr.  Howe  never 
ceased,  as  long  as  life  lasted,  diving  into  the  sea  of  obser- 
vation, and  gathering  flowers  from  the  blooming  fields  of 
experience  with  the  fondness  of  a  devotee ;  and  though 
he  could  not  avoid  bringing  up  occasionally  pebbles 
with  pearls,  and  picking  straws  with  the  violets,  the 
treasures  obtained  were  of  great  importance,  and  they 
will  prove  to  be  the  most  valuable  contributions  to  the 
erection  of  that  magnificent  temple  in  which  the  science 
of  the  education  of  the  blind  is  to  be  permanently 
enshrined  and  preserved. 

But,  however  marvellously  successful  were  his  efforts 
in  behalf  of  the  blind,  the  stand-point  which  they  now 
take  in  American  society  imposes  absolutely  new  condi- 
tions upon  their  education.  It  recpiii'es  not  only  better, 
higher  school-culture  for  the  improvement  of  the  under- 
standing in  the  usual  sense,  but  also  the  development 
pf  a  certain  degree  of  individual  creativeness  or  jntel- 


1879.J  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  37 

lectual  productivity.  Upon  that  which  the  bhncl  are  to 
become  depend  their  future  happiness  and  welfare  far 
more  than  upon  that  which  they  have  ah'eady  attained. 
Society  itself  will  never  reach  the  proper  point  of  equity 
and  perfection,  unless  it  provide  for  all  its  members,  be 
they  sound  or  defective  in  mind  or  in  body,  sufficient 
means  for  thorough  cultivation  and  training,  so  as  to 
develop  in  them  that  individual  force  and  native  energy 
which  radiate  from  within  outwards,  and  which  triumph 
over  external  conditions  and  surrounding  difficulties. 
To  nurture  the  powers  of  all  children  without  distinc- 
tion, and  to  awaken  in  them  insight  and  creative  abili- 
ty, is  alike  the  duty  and  the  interest  of  the  community ; 
and  education  then,  and  only  then,  will  achieve  its 
greatest  practical  success,  when  it  meets  all  new  condi- 
tions, and  when,  in  the  words  of  the  poet,  — 

"  Earth's  universal  frame  shall  feel  the  effects, 
Even  till  the  smallest  habitable  i-ock, 
Beaten  by  lonely  billows,  hear  the  songs 
Of  humanized  societj-,  and  bloom 
With  civil  arts  that  send  their  fragrance  forth 
A  grateful  tribute  to  all-ruling  Heaven. 
From  culture  unexclusivelj  bestowed 
Expect  these  hiighty  issues  ;  from  the  pain 
And  faitlaful  care  of  unambitious  schools, 
Instructing  simple  childhood's  ready  ear, 
Thence  look  for  these  magnificent  results." 

This  prophetic  strain  may  be  a  vision  of  a  poet's 
brain,  which  is,  perhaps,  unattainable  to  its  fullest  ex- 
tent ;  but  it  indicates  sufficiently  the  effects  of  culture, 
and  beautifully  illustrates  its  aim.  If  the  i3rinciples  of 
true  education  are  scientifically  educed,  and  accurately 
defined,  and  its  objects  faithfully  pursued,  its  legitimate 


38       .       INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

processes  will  undoubtedly  operate  like  the  genial 
agencies  of  nature,  quietly,  almost  imperceptibly,  yet 
with  unerring  certainty  attaining  their  proper  ends. 
Montaigne's  statement,  that  the  most  important  diffi- 
culty of  human  science  is  the  education  of  children,  is 
perfectly  true  ;  and  the  difficulty  becomes  vastly  greater 
when  the  recipients  of  instruction  are  deprived  of  one 
of  the  most  important  avenues  of  sense.  Nevertheless 
the  attempts  at  the  culture  and  training  of  the  blind 
are  no  longer  regarded  as  an  experiment  of  doubtful 
results  :  on  the  contrary,  the  fruitfulness  of  past  en- 
deavors in  their  behalf  promises  a  full  success  in  the 
future.  The  seed  has  ah-eady  been  abundantly  laid  in 
the  bosom  of  the  earth  ;  and  the  dew,  the  rain,  and  the 
vivifying  light  and  air,  are  all  working  together  slowly, 
but  surely,  to  produce  the  golden  harvest. 

The  Various  Departments  of  the  Institution. 

Of  the  work  of  the  institution  as  carried  on  in  its 
Various  departments,  a  brief  account  will  be  hereafter 
given.  Its  educational  methods  and  exercises,  com- 
pared with  those  employed  in  the  schools  for  seeing 
children,  need  to  be  as  much  more  varied  and  compre- 
hensive, as  the  peculiarities  and  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
teaching  are  greater  in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other. 

The  day  is  divided  between  instruction  in  the  school- 
room and  study,  lessons  and  practice  in  instrumental 
and  vocal  music  and  in  tuning  piano-fortes,  training  in 
some  simple  mechanical  occupation  (in  order  to  give 
manual  dexterity,  and  prepare  the  children  for  a  trade, 
if  such  is  to  be  their  calling),  and  physical  exercise  both 
under  shelter  and  in  the  open  air.     Moreover,  the  moral 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  39 

law  reigns  supreme,  and  the  pupils  are  surrounded  by 
an  atmosphere  which  makes  conscience  the  guide  and 
judicial  power  in  all  their  acts.  High  moral  character 
is  the  one  thing  which  bridges  over  all  distinctions 
arising  from  physical  imperfections,  and  is  esteemed 
indispensable  in  preparing  the  blind  to  constitute  an 
integral  and  not  a  distinct  part  of  human  society.  Rec- 
titude, veracity,  integrity,  purity,  kindness,  uprightness, 
and  vu'tue  are  instilled  by  precept  and  example.  No 
man  prospers,  no  life  succeeds,  without  these :  any  de- 
parture from  them  is  a  flaw  in  our  armor,  an  organic 
weakness  in  the  forces  employed  in  fighting  ignorance 
and  vice.  If  the  blind  are  what  they  ought  to  be  in 
moral  weight  and  fibre,  in  intellectual  power,  in  physi- 
cal vigor,  and  in  indomitable  energy,  surely  they  need 
not  fear  lest  they  shall  find  good  and  ample  scope  for 
those  qualities,  in  spite  of  their  infirmity.  With  an 
enlightened  mind,  with  self-respect  born  of  intellectual 
development,  with  proper  views  of  the  dignity  of  labor, 
with  habits  of  industry  and  application,  with  a  good 
character,  and  with  a  determination  not  to  be  a  bur- 
den upon  others,  they  can  go  out  into  the  world  well 
equipped  to  make  a  successful  struggle  with  the  odds 
that  are  against  them,  and  will  grapple  resolutely  with 
the  difficulties  opposing  their  advancement  to  independ- 
ence, and,  if  they  have  friends  to  give  them  a  helping 
hand  at  the  outset,  will  finally  walk  firmly  alone. 

Of  all  the  agencies  requisite  for  compassing  this  end 
none  is  more  important  than  a  judicious  division  of 
labor  based  upon  sound  principles,  and  conscientiously 
carried  out  in  every  department  and  every  detail. 


40         .      INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Literary  Department. 

"That  training  which  teaches  how  to  make 
money,  or  aims  at  the  development  of  mere  ph3-si- 
cal  strength,  or  the  communication  of  skill  in  any 
mechanical  business  or  common  art,  without  in- 
tellectual culture  and  a  sense  of  right,  does  not 
deserve  the  name  of  education." — Plato. 

This  department  is  the  basis  of  our  system  of  educa- 
tion, and  the  importance  of  its  work  is  strikingly  set  forth 
in  the  language  of  the  most  luminous  star  in  the  firma- 
ment of  philosophy.  It  exercises  great  influence  in  de- 
veloping the  mental  powers  and  the  testhetic  faculties 
of  the  pupils,  in  the  increase  of  their  capacity,  and  in 
the  formation  of  their  character.  It  constitutes  the  solid 
foundation  upon  which  the  superstructure  can  be 
securely  reared,  broad  and  high,  beautiful  and  substan- 
tial. It  represents  a  sort  of  intellectual  and  moral 
gymnasium,  preparatory  for  the  great  struggle  in  the 
arena  of  life. 

During  the  past  year  the  intellectual  department  has 
received  all  the  attention  which  its  vast  scope  merits, 
and  its  present  condition  is  exceedingly  satisfactory. 
Its  concerns  have  been  so  administered  as  to  secure  for 
the  largest  possible  number  the  highest  possible  results, 
and  to  enable  them  to  use  to  the  best  advantage  those 
talents  with  which  they  are  endowed. 

The  organic  forces  and  mechanical  means  necessary 
for  the  advancement  and  efficiency  of  the  school  have 
been  increased,  and  the  facilities  for  thorough  and  sys- 
tematic instruction  are  excellent.  Not  that  we  possess 
costly    apparatus,    expensive    appliances,    or    luxurious 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  41 

accommodations  ;  but  what  we  have  is  admirably  suited 
to  its  purpose,  and  inchides  all  that  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary. 

The  pupils  have  been  faithfully  taught,  and  have 
diligently  improved  their  opportunities ;  and  the  range 
and  quality  of  their  acquirements  are  creditable  both 
to  themselves  and  to  thek  instructors.  There  is  a  noble 
spirit  manifested  among  them,  which  is  most  gratifying 
and  commendable.  This  is  evinced  by  a  real  interest  in 
their  studies,  by  a  respect  and  cheerful  deference  to  the 
wishes  of  those  in  authority,  by  an  ambition  to  excel  in 
their  classes,  and  by  a  general  demeanor  worthy  of  all 
praise. 

The  teachers  have  endeavored  to  give  clear  and 
correct  instruction,  with  careful  explanations  of  words 
and  principles.  Their  prominent  aim  has  been  to  direct 
the  scholars  how  to  study,  and  to  encourage  them  to 
surmount  difficulties.  They  have  led  them  to  get  a 
distinct  and  accurate  understanding  of  the  subjects 
under  consideration,  and  requked  them  to  express  their 
thoughts  and  views  in  their  own  language.  They  have 
stimulated  as  far  as  possible  their  aptitude  for  invention, 
and  have  sought  to  inspire  them  with  confidence  in  their 
own  powers  and  resources.  All  who  have  witnessed 
the  efforts  of  our  instructors,  and  watched  them  atten- 
tively, are  impressed  with  the  thoroughness  of  their 
work,  their  skilful  probing  of  the  pupils'  knowledge, 
their  manifest  love  for  their  vocation,  and  their  simple 
and  interesting  manner  of  unfolding  facts  and  principles. 
As  a  general  rule,  they  prepare  every  lesson  before 
crossing  the  threshold  of  the  schoolroom.  They  are 
methodical  in  their  arrangements,  definite  in  their  plans, 


42  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

succinct  in  their  teaching,  and  invincibly  patient  in  the 
pursuit  of  a  fixed  end.  This  quaUty  is  indispensable 
for  securing  satisfactory  results  in  any  undertaking ; 
for  patience  is  nothing  else  but  common  sense  intensi- 
fied. John  Foster  named  it  "  the  faculty  of  lighting 
one's  own  fire ; "  and  Buffon  pronounced  it  the  true 
touchstone  of  genius.  The  man  or  woman  who  is 
patient,  and  keeps  a  calm  temper,  no  matter  how  accu- 
rately the  difficulties  before  him  are  estimated,  and  how 
keenly  the  disappointments  felt,  will  have  vastly  greater 
power  to  accomplish  good  and  to  correct  evil  than  those 
who  become  impatient,  and  fall  into  a  sour  mood.  A 
sweet  spirit,  like  the  fragrant  flower,  has  a  perfume  to 
cast  upon  the  path  of  every  one  who  passes  by :  it  has 
also  for  itself  a  rare  life  of  love,  >vhich  every  one  ad- 
mires. 

The  course  of  study  pursued  here  has  been  so  often 
detailed  in  former  reports,  that  it  need  not  be  rehearsed 
again.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  its  scale  has  been  enlarged 
and  extended,  and  is  calculated  to  bestow  that  practical 
knowledge  and  breadth  of  culture  which  are  necessary 
to  the  highest  success.  The  objects  with  which  the 
pupils  are  brought  into  daily  contact,  the  phenomena 
which  constantly  appear  before  the  mental  vision,  the 
facts  of  nature  and  of  consciousness  upon  which  all 
science  and  philosophy  are  based,  receive  careful  and 
systematic  attention. 

The  subject-matter  of  the  lessons  given  in  the  classes 
is  not  of  a  fragmentary  or  disconnected  character,  but 
shows  distinctly  the  relations  of  one  thing  to  another, 
and  while  it  arouses  the  attention,  and  trains  the  powers 
of  observation,   also  presents   that   connected  chain  of 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  43 

thought  necessary  to  the  development  of  the  reasoning 
faculties.  The  operation  of  the  higher  powers  of  the 
mind  in  solving  the  problems  of  thought  and  in  arriv- 
ing at  just  conclusions  depends  upon  the  faithfulness 
with  which  perception  has  been  cultivated. 

There  has  been  a  marked  improvement  in  the  modes 
of  imparting  instruction.  Much  more  time  than  for- 
merly has  been  given  to  oral  and  object  teaching,  and 
has  been  attended  with  most  encouraging  results.  The 
rational  method,  in  contradistinction  to  the  mere  mechan- 
ical, has  been  applied  to  various  branches  ordinarily 
taught  to  children,  but  not  carried  beyond  the  bounda- 
ries prescribed  by  reason  and  wisdom.  Nature  has  been 
our  guide ;  and  instead  of  attempting  to  overrule  her, 
and  substitute  our  senseless  wishes  and  designs  for  her 
unalterable  and  imperative  enactments,  we  anxiously 
study  and  implicitly  obey  them.  To  do  otherwise  would 
be  to  labor  for  an  impossible  result. 

"  Naturam  expelles  furca,  tamen  usque  recurret." 

Our  instructors  are  enjoined  to  study  the  special  apti- 
tude of  every  pupil,  and  to  adapt  theii'  nfDde  of  teach- 
ing to  the  wants  of  each  individual.  The  inequality  of 
different  minds  in  imbibing  instruction  under  precisely 
identical  ckcumstances  is  a  glaring  fact,  and  is  one  of 
the  obstacles  encountered  m  teaching  numbers  together, 
that  is,  m  classes.  Hence  the  adaptation  of  class  work 
to  individual  capacity  must  of  necessity  form  the  basis 
of  the  whole  system  of  instruction. 

Attention  has  been  given  to  the  principles  which 
govern  every  intelligent  effort  to  impart  instruction. 
Mountains   of  learned  verbalism,   and  clouds   of  mere 


44  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

formulse  of  words,  have  not  been  allowed  to  stand 
betAveen  the  mental  vision  of  the  pupils  and  the  object ; 
and  clearness  in  thought,  and  distinctness  in  the  repre- 
sentation of  ideas  have  been  considered  of  more  moment 
than  linguistic  exercises,  for  perspicuity  of  expression 
follows  definiteness  in  thinking.  Combe's  educational 
motto,  "jR^s,  non  verba,  quaeso,''  has  been  the  guide  in 
our  school,  because  "  dum  res  tnaneant  verba  fingantT 
The  learning  of  words  is  a  noisy  process ;  whereas  the 
virtue  of  things  steals  into  the  intellect  with  noiseless 
step,  and  is  ever  working  in  the  thoughts  of  the  pupils 
most  when  they  perceive  it  least.  It  does  not  confine 
itself  to  the  surface  of  the  mind,  rustling  in  its  fringes, 
and  roaring  in  its  outskirts,  but  reaches  its  vital  springs, 
and  feeds  its  native  vigor.  It  is  as  silent  as  the  growing 
of  the  plants,  as  unconscious  as  the  assimilation  of  the 
food  and  the  vitalizing  work  of  the  blood. 

Accuracy  and  thoroughness  in  whatever  is  studied, 
with  the  frequent  application  of  principles  to  the  duties 
and  affairs  of  life,  is  of  the  first  importance.  A  smat- 
tering of  letters,  scraps  of  grammar,  odds  and  ends  of 
history,  crumbs  of  the  abstract  sciences,  are  of  little  use 
to  the  blind  ;  and,  instead  of  being  thankful  for  them, 
they  are    more  likely  to  say,  with   the    shoemaker  in 

Martial, — 

"  At  me  litei'ulas  stulti  docuere  parentes." 

What  they  especially  need  is  the  cultivation  of  sponta- 
neous intellectual  energy,  and  a  thorough  mental  disci- 
pline, including  the  habits  of  observation,  of  quick  and 
accurate  perception,  of  steady  attention,  and  of  close 
and  patient  reasoning. 

More    stress    is    laid    upon   principles    and    leading 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  45 

thoughts  than  upon  the  quantity  of  details  and  facts. 
This  is  as  it  should  be ;  for  mere  accumulation  of  knowl- 
edge, without  fostering  and  promoting  the  activity  of 
the  intellectual  faculties,  is  not  education.  It  occu- 
pies, but  does  not  enrich,  the  mind.  It  imparts  a  stim- 
ulus for  the  time,  and  produces  a  sort  of  intellectual 
keenness  and  cleverness ;  but,  without  an  implanted 
purpose  and  a  higher  object  than  mere  pleasure,  it  does 
not  call  forth  any  conscious  eifort  of  ratiocination,  and 
will  bring  with  it  no  solid  advantage.  In  such  cases, 
knowledge  produces  but  a  passing  impression,  —  a  sen- 
sation, but  no  more.  It  is  in  fact  the  merest  epicurism 
of  intelligence,  —  sensuous,  but  certainly  not  intellectual. 
Locke,  throughout  the  whole  of  his  treatise  on  education, 
reiterates  the  necessity  of  simplicity  in  subject ;  of  train- 
ing and  method,  rather  than  variety  and  amount.  The 
tendency  to  put  a  higher  value  upon  the  quantity  of 
knowledge  acquired  than  upon  the  mental  discipline 
derived  from  school-life  develops  an  opinionative  self- 
sufficiency,  not  a  real  intellectual  activity.  It  should  be 
continually  borne  in  mind,  that  it  is  not  the  amount  of 
information  w^hich  our  pupils  carry  from  the  school  that 
constitutes  a  criterion  of  their  capacity,  and  opens  to 
them  the  gates  of  usefulness,  but  the  ability  to  learn,  the 
appetite  for  good  knowledge,  and  the  habits  of  thought 
into  which  the  mind  has  settled  in  acquiring  it,  the  skill 
in  applying  what  they  know  to  practical  business,  and  the 
vigor  of  health  that  gives  aptitude  for  its  use. 

Endeavors  to  expand  the  intellect  by  the  introduction 
of  mechanically  compressed  facts  have  been  avoided 
among  us,  not  only  as  futile,  but  as  positively  injurious. 
The  pupils  are  trained  to  perceive,  think,  investigate, 


46  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

reason,  and  discover  for  themselves,  to  a  very  great 
extent.  We  make  a  point  of  awakening  the  energy, 
qnickening  the  intellectual  activity  and  moral  power, 
clearing  the  mind  by  driving  away  pretentions  and 
shams  and  illusions,  and  giving  tone  and  tension  to  the 
thought  of  the  day. 

The  mind  of  a  child  is  not  a  passive  recipient,  but  an 
active  principle,  constantly  developing,  expanding,  and 
tending  to  maturity.  It  is  therefore  important  that  it 
should  be  nourished  with  the  aliment  best  fitted  for  its 
growth  ;  not  wdth  dry  facts,  wordy  formulas,  scientific 
definitions,  and  tables  of  chronology,  but  with  some- 
thing that  addresses  the  ideality,  awakens  the  obser- 
vation, pleases  the  perceptive  faculties,  gives  play  to 
conception,  and  stimulates  ratiocination.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  attempt  to  bring  into  active  and  unceasing 
exercise  the  reasoning  powers  of  youth  of  a  very  early 
age  is  very  injurious  ;  for  minute  analyses  and  consecu- 
tive trains  of  argumentative  and  demonstrative  thought 
task  the  brain  more  severely  than  any  other  intellectual 
process,  and  hinder  its  normal  growth  and  expansion. 
In  educational  matters  the  pendulum  of  error  often 
oscillates  from  senseless,  stupefying  repetition,  and 
learning  by  rote,  on  the  one  hand,  to  continuous  analyz- 
ing and  reasoning  on  the  other.  To  keep  a  just  bal- 
ance between  the  two  is  alike  pointed  out  by  common 
sense,  and  demanded  by  the  interests  of  the  children. 
The  first  and  most  fundamental  principle  in  the  work 
of  any  school  is,  that  the  instruction  be  simple  and  well 
adapted  to  each  stage  of  mental  capacity,  directly  tend- 
ino-  to  prepare  the  next  step  of  development,  and  that 
the  intellectual  faculties  be  properly  fed  and  developed. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  4< 

Process  of  MejSital  Development. 

The  development  of  the  mental  powers  should  be  sys- 
tematic and  perfectly  proportioned  in  order  to  form  a 
complete  individuality.  No  undue  attention  should  be 
bestowed  on  any  one  of  them  to  the  neglect  of  the 
others.  No  colossal  overshadowing  tree  should  be 
raised  in  the  midst  of  sapling  faculties,  intercepting  the 
sun  from  their  leaves,  or  covering  the  ground  of  the 
organism  with  roots,  and  sapping  the  nutriment  from 
the  vital  centres.  They  should  be  unfolded  in  that  defi- 
nite order  which  is  pointed  out  by  the  laws  of  nature, 
and  prescribed  by  science. 

The  dawn  of  active  intelligence  in  the  mind  of  a 
child  passes  rapidly  and  beautifully  from  mere  sensation 
to  observation,  and  from  this  to  the  recognition  of  per- 
sons and  objects  formerly  beheld,  or  of  sounds  previ- 
ously heard  passively.  In  this  manner,  conception  is 
brought  into  play,  the  mind  receives  ideas,  the  mem- 
ory retains  and  recalls  them  by  the  wonderful  principle 
of  association,  words  are  acquired  and  connected  with 
them  in  an  indissoluble  manner  by  the  process  of  assim- 
ilation, and  talking  and  thinking  move  on  together. 
Then  follows  the  comparison  of  objects  and  ideas  after 
which  the  mind  passes  to  a  recognition  of  abstract  quali- 
ties ;  then  logical  thought,  or  ratiocination.  '  This,  with 
judgment  and  imagination,  are  developed  slowly,  and  in 
their  highest  exercise  belong  to  the  last  stage  of  men- 
tal growth.  It  is  thus  that  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
intellectual  character  is  laid  by  conception,  aided  by  the 
law  of  association,  which  Rogers  has  so  graphically 
described,  — 


48  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

"  Lulled  in  the  countless  chambers  of  the  brain, 
Our  thoughts  are  linked  b}'  many  a  hidden  chain. 
Awake  but  one,  and.  lo,  what  myriads  rise  ! 
Each  stamps  its  image  as  the  other  flies." 

The  laws  which  govern  the  growth  and  operations  of 
the  human  mind  are  as  definite,  and  as  universal  in 
their  application,  as  those  which  control  the  material 
world.  Hence  education  in  general  must  take  cogni- 
zance of  the  fact,  and  shape  its  course  accordingly. 
But,  in  the  training  of  the  blind,  particular  attention 
needs  to  be  paid  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  difficulties 
arising  from  their  infirmity.  The  long  night  of  their 
life  knows  no  morning.  The  ever  varying,  ever  beauti- 
ful face  of  nature  is  to  them  a  blank ;  and  not  only  so, 
but  all  modes  of  expression  founded  upon  the  countless 
changes  of  light  and  shade  so  numerous  in  all  lan- 
guages are  to  them  of  vague  and  uncertain  import. 
Then  there  are  many  forms  of  existence  so  obvious,  that 
no  one  considers  it  necessary  to  describe  them  to  see- 
ing children, —  things  which  the  simplest  books  do  not 
explain.  Who  would  think,  for  instance,  of  telling  his 
pupils  that  a  mule  had  four  legs,  and  a  hen  but  two ; 
that  an  ox  had  horns,  and  a  horse  had  not  ]  Yet  how 
is  the  sightless  child  to  know  these  particulars,  unless 
he  feel  of  the  animals  themselves,  or  of  their  tangible 
representations  ?  It  is  here  that  the  blind  are  cramped, 
and  it  is  the  province  of  the  schools  established  for 
then*  special  benefit  to  provide  them  with  ample  means 
for  the  exercise  of  their  senses,  and  to  bring  them  as 
far  as  may  be  into  direct  communication  with  the  multi- 
farious objects  of  external  nature.  It  will  readily  be 
seen  that  teaching  of   this   kind  is    indispensable    for 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  49 

training  the  physical  and  intellectual  powers  of  the 
blind,  for  building  up  their  whole  character,  and  for 
raising  them  as  near  as  possible  to  the  social  and  moral 
standard  of  the  community. 

Object-Teaching  and  Illustrative  Apparatus. 

During  the  past  year  the  facilities  afforded  by  the 
institution  for  object-teaching,  and  for  illustrating 
several  branches  of  study,  have  been  greatly  increased ; 
and  the  collections  of  models,  specimens,  and  tangible 
appliances  of  various  kinds,  although  not  yet  complete, 
have  been  enriched  by  many  new  additions.  The  most 
valuable  of  these  is  one  of  Auzoux's  best  and  largest 
manikins,  the  purchase  of  which  was  followed  by  an 
order  sent  to  Dresden,  Germany,  for  a  full  set  of  Dr. 
Schaufuss's  anatomical  models.  The  manikin  is  a  fine 
specimen,  five  feet  six  inches  high,  and  is  composed  of 
ninety  separate  pieces,  which  can  be  taken  apart  so  as 
to  show  the  human  structure  in  all  its  details.  The 
Schaufuss  models,  forty-three  in  number,  and  represent- 
ing the  different  parts  of  the  body  singly,  are  well  made 
of  papier-mache,  and  have  been  found  of  great  service 
in  the  educational  institutions  of  Germany.  The  appa- 
ratus illustrative  of  the  metric  system,  and  a  collection 
of  minerals,  fossils,  crystals,  seeds  and  dried  plants,  kin- 
dergarten materials,  and  stuffed  birds  and  animals,  have 
also  been  procured,  and  advantageously  used  by  our 
pupils. 

These  additions,  although  increasing  our  educational 
facilities,  are  far  from  completing  them,  and  making 
them  such  as  they  ought  to  be.  We  need  more  speci- 
mens, both  of  sensible    objects    from  the  animal    and 


50  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

vegetable  kingdoms,  and  tangible  models  of  various 
kinds ;  so  that  in  every  case  where  it  is  possible  the  real 
thing  may  be  presented  to  the  touch  when  it  is  studied 
or  taught.  This  mode  of  instruction  is  of  inestimable 
value.  It  bridges  over  the  chasm  from  the  known  to 
the  unknown,  from  the  concrete  to  the  abstract,  and  lays 
a  solid  foundation  for  the  mind  to  work  upon.  It  rouses 
the  attention  of  the  pupils,  and  excites  their  interest. 
It  appeals  to  experience,  and  stimulates  their  powers  of 
observation  to  intense  activity.  It  feeds  the  mind  with 
real  food,  and  raises  it  out  of  the  slough  of  inattention 
and  listless  inactivity. 

The  first  step  in  mental  growth  is  to  obtain  knowl- 
edge which  comes  in  the  form  of  the  perception  of 
the  qualities  of  objects,  or  of  facts  in  regard  to  their 
relations ;  the  next  is  a  comparison  of  two  or  more 
perceptions  and  the  recognition  of  their  points  of  like- 
ness and  unlikeness,  then  classification,  then  general- 
ization, then  law  and  principle,  then  definition.  Thus 
ideas  are  formed  in  the  mind  by  abstraction  and  gener- 
ahzation  from  facts  revealed  to  it  through  the  senses; 
and  the  more  numerous,  varied,  intense,  and  harmoni- 
ous are  the  latter,  the  more  complete  and  clear  will 
be  the  former,  and  the  more  profound  the  enjoyment 
derived  from  them.  What  the  pupils  themselves  per- 
ceive of  the  tangible  properties  of  things  serves  as  the 
basis  of  thought;  and  upon  the  vividness  and  fulness 
of  the  impressions  made  upon  them  by  external  objects 
depend  the  correctness  of  their  inferences  and  the 
soundness  of  their  judgment.  In  early  childhood  the 
perceptive  faculties  are  relatively  stronger  than  at  a 
later  period ;  and,  while  the  understanding  and  reason 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  51 

still  sleep,  the  sensitive  mind  is  receiving  those  sharp 
impressions  of  external  things,  which,  held  fast  by  the 
memory,  transformed  by  the  imagination,  and  finally 
classified  and  organized  throngh  reflection,  result  in 
the  determination  of  thought  and  in  the  formation  of 
character. 

Descartes,  in  his  philosophy,  attempts  to  show  that 
the  only  reality  of  which  we  are  absolutely  certain  is, 
that  ive  think,  —  '•^  cogito,  ergo  sum,''  —  and  that  the 
materials  and  order  of  thought  are  furnished  by  the 
outer  world.  It  is  true,  that  the  more  we  study  natural 
phenomena,  and  rise  to  a  comprehension  of  the  laws 
that  control  them,  the  more  thoroughly  is  the  reasoning 
faculty  developed,  and  the  better  are  we  prepared  to 
perform  the  duties  of  life.  But  we  must  not  lose  sight 
of  the  fact  that  the  final  result  of  mental  discijDline  is 
the  attainment,  not  of  subsensuous,  but  of  supersensuous 
knowledge,  and  the  ability  to  deal  with  abstract  relations 
and  principles.  This  consummation  of  education  should 
not  be  hindered,  either  by  neglect  of  object-lessons,  or 
by  an  exclusive  and  too  long  continuation  of  them. 
Either  extreme  is  dangerous ;  for  culture  in  the  one  case 
rests  upon  a  narrow  and  insufficient  basis  of  fact,  and,  in 
the  other,  the  mind  is  kept  under  the  dominion  of  the 
senses,  and  independent  thought  is  rendered  nearly  im- 
possible. 

Text-Books,  their  Use  and  Abuse. 

The  evil  tendency  of  obliging  pupils  to  commit  to 
memory  the  words  of  the  text-book  has  been  constantly 
disapproved  and  persistently  avoided. 

This   practice   is   a   pernicious   one,    and    has    been 


52  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

severely  criticised  and  emphatically  condemned  by  great 
philosophers  and  distinguished  educators.  Hallam  says, 
that  "  Locke  did  not  think  that  to  pour  the  wordy  book- 
learning  of  pedants  into  the  memory  is  the  true  disci- 
pline of  childhood  ;  "  and  Montaigne  observes,  that  "  a 
mere  bookish  learning  is  a  poor  stock  to  go  upon. 
Though  it  may  serve  for  some  kind  of  ornament,  yet 
there  is  no  foundation  for  any  superstructure  to  be  raised 
upon."  It  seems  to  have  its  origin  in  indolence  or 
ignorance,  and  lack  of  training,  and  is  calculated  directly 
to  narrow,  rather  than  to  expand,  the  mind.  It  fixes  the 
attention  on  words,  rather  than  on  thoughts,  and  makes 
more  of  forms  and  symbols  than  of  the  thing  symbolized. 
It  is  not  merely  because  Moses,  Socrates,  Confucius, 
Plato,  and  Aristotle  were  great  men  themselves,  but 
that  they  happily  lived  before  text-books  were  manufac- 
tured, and  had  to  invent  their  methods  as  they  went  on 
teaching,  that  their  vast  original  force  has  so  gone  out 
upon  the  world  of  thought. 

Text-books  are  used  in  our  school  as  aids,  rather  than 
as  fetters ;  as  helps  to  elucidate  the  study  which  they 
present,  rather  than  as  all-sufficient  treasures  of  informa- 
tion. The  keynote  with  us  is  an  extension  of  the 
sphere  and  uses  of  oral  instruction,  which  furnishes  the 
best  facilities  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  This 
kind  of  teaching  leads  the  mind  to  exert  such  activity 
as  will  result  in  a  thorough  training  of  the  i^tellectual 
faculties  and  in  the  attainment  of  a  good  method  of 
thinking  and  acting. 

But  oral  teaching,  in  order  to  be  valuable,  must  be 
systematic,  connected,  and  harmonious,  and  not  mere 
random  talk.     Its  form  must  be  dialectic,  and  not  dog- 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  63 

matic.  Socrates,  and,  after  him,  Arkesilaos,  first  made 
their  pupils  speak,  and  then  spoke  to  them ;  and  every 
true  teacher  ought  to  follow  their  example. 

Music  Department. 

"  By  music,  minds  an  equal  temper  know, 
Nor  swell  too  high,  nor  sink  too  low : 
If  iu  the  breast  tumultuous  joys  arise, 
Music  her  soft,  persuasive  voice  applies  ; 
Or,  when  the  soul  is  pressed  with  cares, 
Exalts  her  in  enlivening  airs."  — Poj)e. 

This  department  has  fully  sustained  its  high  standing 
in  our  system  of  education,  and  its  work  has  been  per- 
formed in  a  manner  which  is  very  creditable  to  those 
who  are  engaged  in  it. 

Eighty-seven  scholars  have  received  instruction  in 
music  during  the  past  year,  and  the  branches  taught 
may  be  summarized  as  follows  :  piano-forte,  tlie  parlor 
and  church  organ,  class  and  solo  singing,  flute,  clari- 
net, cornet,  and  other  band  instruments,  harmony,  coun- 
terpoint, and  the  art  of  teaching. 

The  progress  of  the  pupils  has  been  very  satisfactory, 
and  those  among  them  who  are  gifted  with  special 
talent,  and  possess  such  general  mental  ability  as  is 
essential  for  the  attainment  of  excellence  in  any  art, 
advance  rapidly.  But  there  are  some  who  prove,  after 
a  patient  and  fak  trial,  utterly  destitute  of  natural  apti- 
tude for  music.  These  are  required  to  discontinue 
their  music-lessons,  and  to  devote  their  time  out  of 
school-hours  to  the  acquisition  of  some  useful  trade,  or 
to  some  other  manual  occupation.  In  order  to  meet 
the  usual  remonstrance^s  of  disappointed   relatives  and 


54  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

friends  in  such  instances,  a  record  of  each  scholar's 
progress  is  kept,  showing  the  number  of  lessons  given 
to  him,  the  exact  amount  of  music  learned  at  each  of 
them,  and  the  number  of  hours  practised  per  week. 
From  these  data  the  actual  standing  of  every  pupil  can 
be  accurately  obtained,  and  his  ability  or  inaptitude  for 
further  musical  instruction  exactly  ascertained.  There 
are  individuals  who  are  afflicted  with  what  Mr.  Grant 
Allen  has  called  note-deafness,  —  an  imperfection  in  the 
nervous  apparatus  in  the  ear,  analogous  to  color-blind- 
ness, which  is  supposed  to  be  due  to  the  loss  of  sensi- 
bility of  one  of  the  three  sets  of  retinal  nerve-fibres.  To 
such  persons,  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  wanting  in 
mental  capacity  and  calibre,  instruction  in  music  is  of  no 
avail  whatever,  and  the  sooner  they  turn  their  attention 
to  some  of  the  mechanical  arts,  the  better  it  is  for  them. 
Due  attention  is  given  to  concerted  music,  such  as 
class-singing,  band-playing,  and  the  like;  but  the  fullest 
measure  of  attention  and  endeavor  is  directed  towards 
those  forms  of  instruction  and  training  which  aim  at 
individual  excellence  both  in  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  In  the  arena  of  practical  life,  the  success  of  a 
graduate  who  has  been  merely  a  member  of  a  singing- 
class,  or  of  a  band  or  orchestra,  is  rather  doubtful ;  but 
if  the  culture  of  his  voice  has  been  such  as  to  enable 
him  to  sing  artistically,  accompanying  himself,  if  need 
be,  on  the  piano-forte,  or  if  he  can  play  solos  well  on 
any  string,  reed,  or  brass  instrument  which  shall  be  fit 
for  the  concert- room  or  for  a  select  parlor-entertainment, 
he  will  find  almost  anywhere  an  open  field  of  usefulness, 
and  may  derive  substantial  advantages  from  the  practice 
of  his  profession. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  55 

Nearly  all  the  individual  lessons  on  instruments  used 
in  the  band,  and  most  of  the  instruction  in  vocal  music, 
are  given  by  three  non-resident  professors,  —  Messrs.  H. 
C.  Brown,  C.  Higgins,  and  Madame  Rametti.  These, 
with  five  resident  teachers,  one  assistant,  three  music- 
readers,  and  some  of  the  advanced  pupils,  constitute 
an  able  and  efficient  corps  of  instructors. 

The   Ohjectionahle  in  Music. 

Music,  like  literature,  has  its  low  and  sensational 
forms,  which  tend  to  degrade  both  taste  and  feeling. 
Dime  novels  and  vile  fiction  have  then-  counterpart  in 
musical  compositions.  This  kind  of  music,  which  is 
either  meaningless,  or  ends  in  mere  sentiment,  without 
exciting  to  generous  and  noble  action,  vulgarizing  that 
which  is  lofty  and  pure,  or  appealing  dii'ectly  to  the 
basest  passions,  is  shunned  in  our  curriculum,  and  that 
alone  chosen  which  has  a  tendency  to  arouse  the  higher 
nature,  to  repress  selfishness,  to  refine  the  taste,  and  to 
restrain  the  lower  propensities.  Music  of  this  kind, 
while  directly  aiding  in  aesthetic  culture,  becomes  an 
important  element  in  moral  education. 

The  possession  of  the  aesthetic  faculty,  that  is,  of  a 
well  developed  sense  of  the  general  fitness  of  beautiful 
things,  is  one  of  the  most  important  requisites  of  a 
musician ;  and  this,  together  with  the  ability  for  sound 
analytical  criticism  of  musical  compositions,  can  be  at- 
tained in  the  concert-room,  where  the  compositions  of 
the  greater  and  lesser  masters  are  interpreted  by  emi- 
nent artists.  Thanks  to  the  authorities  and  members  of 
the  best  musical  societies  of  Boston,  to  the  proprietors 
of  theatres,  the  managers  of  public  entertainments,  and 


56  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

also  to  a  brilliant  array  of  distinguished  musicians  in 
our  city,  —  the  names  of  all  of  whom  will  be  hereafter 
gratefully  mentioned  in  the  list  of  acknowledgments, 
—  our  pupils  continue  to  be  generously  permitted  to 
attend  the  finest  concerts,  rehearsals,  operas,  oratorios, 
and  the  like,  and  are  favored  with  many  most  exquisite 
artistic  performances  given  in  our  own  hall.  They 
actually  live  and  move  in  a  musical  atmosphere,  which 
has,  of  course,  a  most  powerful  influence  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  taste  ;  so  that  pure  classical  music  is  enjoyed 
by  them  with  the  greatest  zest  and  enthusiasm,  and 
concerts  of  a  high  order  become  favorite  entertainments. 

The  True,  the  Beautiful,  and  the   Useful  in  Music. 

Herbert  Spencer,  m  describing  the  importance  of 
the  social  and  moral  influence  of  music,  says,  — 

"  The  tendency  of  civilization  is  more  and  more  to  repress  the 
antagonistic  elements  of  our  characters,  and  to  develop  the  social 
ones,  to  curb  our  purel}'  selfish  desires,  and  exercise  our  unselfish 
ones,  to  replace  private  gratification  b}'  gratification  resulting 
from  or  involving  the  happiness  of  others  ;  and  while,  by  this 
adaptation  to  the  social  state,  the  s^'mpathetic  side  of  our  nature 
is  being  unfolded,  there  is  simultaneously*  growing  up  a  language 
of  sympathetic  intercourse,  —  a  language  through  which  we  com- 
municate to  others  the  happiness  we  feel,  and  are  made  to  share 
their  happiness." 

These  words  of  the  eminent  scientist  are  in  accord- 
ance with  the  views  of  the  most  distinguished  writers 
and  celebrated  thinkers  on  the  subject.  Music  is  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  spontaneous  manifestations  of  that 
intellectual  activity  which  is  the  sjDecial  characteristic 
of  man,  and  its  value  as  a  promoter  of  the  beautiful, 
and  through  it  of  the  good,  is  universally  admitted.     It 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  57 

constitutes  a  very  essential  factor  in  the  education  of  the 
blind ;  and  its  study  and  practice  are  earnestly  pursued 
in  our  school  for  the  aesthetic  culture  which  it  affords, 
for  its  beneficial  results  in  mental  and  moral  J;  discipline, 
and  for  the  substantial  advantages,  as  well  as  the  pleas- 
ure, which  its  devotees  derive  from  its  profession.     But, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  idea  that  music  should  or  can 
constitute  the  sole  aim  of  the  efforts  of  the  blind  is  a 
mistaken  and  very  pernicious  one.     It  proceeds  from 
ignorance  of  the  nature  of  the  art  itself,  and  rests  upon 
a  mere  illusion  with  regard  to  its   effects  upon  man's 
normal  development.     While  no  one  wiU  agree  in  these 
days  with  the  stern-minded  Romans  of  old  in  their  con- 
demnation of  music  as  effeminating,  it  is  obvious,  that, 
if  pursued  with  a  narrow  and  exclusive  devotion,  it  may 
become  so.     The  truest  musician  is  he  who  is  loyal  to 
his  whole   nature,  who  does  not  dwarf  his  mind,  and 
stunt  his  body,  thereby  in  reality  thwarting   his    art. 
This   fact,    although    apparently   so    self-evident,    it   is 
always  necessary  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  young 
people,  and  especially  upon  those  of  the  blind,  in  whom 
neither  pallid  cheeks,  sunken  chests,  sedentary  habits, 
lameness  of  the  wrists,  circumscribed  mental  horizon, 
nor  the  limited  circle  of  sympathies,  can  be  improved  or 
remedied  by  exclusive  devotion  to  one  branch  of  edu- 
cation, which  must  produce  an  inharmonious  develop- 
ment of  all  the  faculties  and  powers.     The  success  of 
our  graduates  as  music-teachers  and  performers  depends 
in  no  small  measure  upon  the  breadth  of  their  general 
knowledge  and  the   degree  of  mental  discipline  which 
they  have  attained  in  school.     As  in  intellectu§,l  train- 
ing the  aim  is  to  ascertain  the  true  in  facts  and  in  the 


58  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

relations  of  both  the  physical  and  mental  worlds,  so  in 
music  the  end  sought  is  the  beautiful,  which  is  the  true 
in  the  relations  of  sound,  and  in  their  combinations  and 
qualities  as  they  affect  the  sense  of  hearing.  The  true 
includes  all  phenomena,  and  the  beautiful  refers  to 
those  objective  relations  and  combinations  which  afford 
pleasure.  Hence  the  two  are  so  related  to  each  other, 
that  each  is  essential  in  an  educational  course  for  the 
ultimate  success  of  the  other,  and  that  substantial 
attainment  in  the  former  is  necessary  to  the  highest 
proficiency  in  the  latter.  Without  the  assertion  of  the 
intellect  in  music,  its  sweetness  would  cloy,  and  become 
positively  tiresome.  Berlioz's  remarks  on  this  subject 
carry  with  them  more  than  ordinary  weight.  They 
seem  to  be  the  embodiment  of  keen  observation,  ma- 
ture experience,  and  sound  judgment.  "  Music,"  says 
he,  "  is  at  once  an  art  and  a  science  ;  to  have  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  it,  one  must  go  through  complex 
and  quite  long  studies  ;  to  feel  the  emotions  it  arouses, 
one  must  have  a  cultured  intelligence  and  a  practical 
ear  ;  to  judge  of  the  value  of  musical  works,  one  must 
have  a  well-furnished  memory  in  order  to  be  able  to 
make  comparisons,  and,  in  fine,  to  know  many  things, 
of  which  one  is  necessarily  ignorant  when  one  has  not 
learned  them." 

The  ancient  Greeks,  who,  by  the  harmonious  develop- 
ment and  proper  exercise  of  all  the  mental  faculties 
and  bodily  powers,  reached  the  beau  ideal  of  physical, 
intellectual,  and  aesthetic  perfection,  embraced  in  the 
term  music  (novam))  the  whole  course  of  culture,  from  the 
gymnasium  to  the  academia.  This  definition  may  seem 
over-wide  at  fhst,  yet  I  venture  to  plead  for  its  applica- 


1879.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  59 

tion  in  the  case  of  the  blmd.  Then,  and  then  only,  will 
education  light  for  them  the  path  to  a  noble  social 
equalization  and  the  domain  of  a  rational  individual 
happiness,  when,  like  Phoebus  in  Guide's  famous  pic- 
ture, the  luminous  herald  is  permitted  to  ride  in  a  car 
of  faultless  workmanship,  in  which  symbol  I  would 
embody  the  idea  of  a  perfect  physical  development 
bearing  along  as  in  a  beautiful  chariot  the  glory  of  the 
illuminated  mind. 

Tuning  Department. 

In  order  that  our  pupils  may  obtain  the  necessary 
training  for  the  productive  employments  of  life,  our 
system  of  instruction  is  not  confined  to  the  ordinary 
branches  of  an  English  education  alone,  or  to  the  culti- 
vation of  music,  the  broadening  of  the  intellect,  or  the 
refinement  of  the  aesthetic  nature.  Addressing  the 
mind,  it  does  not  ignore  the  hands,  or  the  whole  range 
of  those  faculties  of  which  they  are  the  special  instru- 
ments, but  aims  to  develop  the  mechanical  aptitudes 
and  tastes  of  our  pupils,  and  send  them  out  sufficiently 
prepared  to  earn  their  living  by  their  own  exertions. 

The  tuning  department,  infusing  as  it  does  a  new 
motive  into  the  activities  of  the  blind,  is  a  valuable  aux- 
iliary to  this  end,  and  an  important  adjunct  to  our  sys- 
tem of  education.  It  opens  a  new  and  lucrative  field  of 
usefulness  to  our  graduates  ;  and  a  considerable  number 
of  young  men  who  despaired  of  success  in  other  call- 
ings are  doing  exceedingly  well  as  tuners  of  piano- 
fortes. 

This  department  has  received  during  the  past  year  all 
the  attention  which  its  practical  ends  and  general  pur- 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

poses  deserve,  and  a  great  amount  of  work  has  been 
accomplished  in  it.  Its  present  condition  is  excellent, 
and  its  future  prospects  very  promising. 

The  number  of  pupils  who  have  received  instruction 
in  tuning  is  seventeen ;  and  the  time  devoted  by  them  to 
taking  lessons  and  practising  varies,  according  to  their 
attainments  and  necessities,  from  five  to  twenty-four 
hours  a  week. 

Two  of  the  pupils  graduated  from  this  department 
at  the  close  of  the  last  term ;  and  one  of  the  former 
graduates  has  been  employed  during  the  year  on  a  reg- 
ular salary  to  assist  in  tuning  the  piano-fortes  used  in  the 
schools  of  the  city  of  Boston. 

Another  piano-forte  has  been  added  to  those  already  in 
use  in  this  department,  and  our  collection  of  appliances 
for  the  practical  study  of  the  internal  mechanism  of 
instruments  of  various  kinds  has  been  increased  by  the 
generous  gift  of  Messrs.  Steinway  and  Sons  of  two 
models  of  the  actions  of  then-  upright  and  grand  piano- 
fortes. For  finished  workmanship,  beauty,  and  com- 
pleteness of  construction,  these  models  can  hardly  be 
surpassed,  and  they  are  great  ornaments  to  the  appara- 
tus of  our  tuning  department. 

Manufacturers  of  piano-fortes  in  this  and  other  cities 
will  promote  their  own  interests,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
blind,  by  placing  models  of  their  actions  in  this  institu- 
tion. Tuners  who  are  thus  assisted  in  mastering  thor- 
oughly the  details  and  peculiarities  of  various  instru- 
ments are  able  to  recommend  them  among  the  clientele 
which  they  almost  invariably  acquire  on  leaving  school. 
Thus  the  sale  of  the  instruments  is  increased,  and  a 
knowledge    of  their  special    characteristics   diffused  in 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  61 

different  parts  of  the  country.  This  is  particularly  de- 
su'able  where  any  new  principles  are  involved  in  then- 
construction. 

The  contract  for  tuning  and  keeping  in  repair  the 
piano-fortes  used  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston  has 
been  renewed  for  another  year  on  the  same  terms  as 
before,  and  without  the  least  opposition  from  any  direc- 
tion. This  unanimous  and  prompt  action  of  the  com- 
mittee is  highly  complimentary  to  our  tuners,  and 
speaks  more  eloquently  for  their  skill  and  efficiency 
than  words  can  do.  It  is  a  source  of  encouragement  to 
the  blind  of  New  England  and  a  noble  example  of  jus- 
tice and  foresight  which  does  honor  to  the  members  of 
the  school  board  of  Boston,  and  ought  to  be  followed  by 
the  authorities  of  every  city  in  America. 

The  popular  prejudice  against  the  ability  of  the  blind 
as  tuners,  teachers,  or  adepts  in  any  art  or  profession, 
which  has  for  a  long  time  blocked  up  their  way  to  use- 
fulness and  independence,  thus  gratuitously  increasing 
the  grievous  burden  of  their  misfortune,  is  gradually 
yielding  to  a  better  understanding  of  their  skill  and 
capacity ;  and  many  of  the  best  and  most  intelligent 
families  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  unhesi- 
tatingly place  their  costly  instruments  under  the  care  of 
our  tuning  department,  and,  so  far  as  we  know,  not  only 
has  no  fault  been  found  with  the  work  done  upon  them, 
but  general  satisfaction  seems  to  echo  from  all  direc- 
tions. For  this  feeling  of  confidence  in  the  proficiency 
of  our  tuners,  and  for  the  generous  patronage  which 
is  constantly  extended  to  them,  we  are  greatly  indebted 
to  some  of  our  most  distinguished  musicians  and  to 
many  teachers  and  eminent  citizens,  who,  by  employing 


62  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

our  men  to  keep  their  own  piano-fortes  in  order,  have 
manifested  their  reliance  upon  the  work  of  the  bhnd 
in  the  most  practical  and  convincing  manner. 

It  has  been  repeatedly  stated  in  my  previous  reports, 
that  the  blind  develop,  in  consequence  of  their  infirmity, 
a  remarkable  power  of  distinguishing  the  pitch  and 
quality  of  sounds ;  that,  as  a  result  of  this  ability,  they 
acquire  great  proficiency  in  the  art  of  tuning  piano-fortes  ; 
that  in  this  calling  they  labor  under  no  disadvantage 
whatsoever,  and  therefore  are  exceedingly  successful; 
and  that  their  work  is  in  many  respects  more  thoroughly 
and  satisfactorily  done  than  that  of  most  of  their  seeing 
brethren  in  the  craft.  I  desire  to  repeat  the  assertion 
here  with  all  the  emphasis  which  proceeds  from  full  con- 
viction ;  for  it  does  not  rest  upon  mere  a  priori  reason- 
ing, but  is  warranted  by  experience  gathered  in  the  field 
of  observation  and  study,  and  confirmed  by  facts  obtained 
by  scientific  investigation.  So  far  as  the  calling  of  a  tuner 
is  concerned,  it  is  beyond  doubt,  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  blind,  living  as  they  do  in  this  institution  in  an 
atmosphere  eminently  musical,  and  enjoying  uncommon 
advantages  for  theoretical  study  and  thorough  practical 
training  in  the  art  of  tuning,  are  qualified  to  do  their 
work  more  satisfactorily  than  their  seeing  competitors  in 
the  art.  Hence  it  is  earnestly  hoped  that  the  com- 
munity in  general,  and  piano-forte  manufacturers  in  par- 
ticular, will  take  more  notice  of  this  fact,  and  will  favor 
our  tuners  in  their  efforts  for  self-maintenance  with 
more  encouragement  in  the  future  than  they  have  done 
heretofore.  As  sight  is  a  condition  sine  qua  non  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  mechanical  arts,  the  sphere  of  employ- 
ments for  our  graduates  is  a  contracted  one,  and  it  is 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  63 

simply  a  matter  of  justice,  that,  in  those  branches  of 
industry  in  which  they  compete  successfully  with  other 
workmen,  and  even  excel  them,  they  should  receive  all 
the  patronage,  nay,  the  preference,  which  is  due  to 
them  as  an  inherent  part,  and  as  active  members,  of  the 
organic  body  of  society. 

Technical  Department. 

This  department  continues  to  perform  its  important 
part  in  the  work  of  training  our  pupils  for  useful  inde- 
pendence and  happiness. 

While  we  are  deeply  impressed  with  the  magnitude 
of  the  benefits  which  intellectual  and  moral  culture  con- 
fer upon  the  blind,  yet  their  education  would  be  de- 
cidedly deficient,  if  not  supplemented  by  instruction  in 
some  kind  of  handicraft,  and  the  acquisition  of  a  fair 
amount  of  skill  for  its  pursuance.  The  system  which 
makes  the  training  of  the  hands  keep  pace  with  the 
mental  development  is  of  immense  importance  to  the 
blind,  and  the  good  effects  produced  by  it  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows  :  — 

First,  it  arouses  the  senses  to  activity,  and  provides 
the  mental  faculties  with  a  gentle  stimulus,  while  it 
prevents  the  morbid  action  of  the  brain  which  too  much 
study  is  apt  to  produce  in  young  persons. 

Secondly,  it  trains  the  muscles  to  respond  immediately 
to  the  will,  and  gives  dexterity  in  the  use  of  tools  and 
in  the  handling  of  materials. 

Thirdly,  it  furnishes  pleasant,  and,  in  most  cases, 
profitable  occupation,  without  which  the  time  might  be 
passed  in  idleness,  despondency,  and  dissipation. 

Fourthly,  its  uifluence  may  be  likened  to  that  of  a 


64  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

utilitarian   gymnasium,  and  it  exercises    an   important 
hygienic  agency. 

Finally,  it  aims  to  impart  a  healthy  tonic  against  the 
sentimentalism  and  dilettanteism  which  are  the  bane  of 
our  age,  and  to  inculcate  the  wholesome  lesson  that 
young  people  must  work  in  order  to  enjoy ;  that  they 
cannot  accomplish  any  thing  creditable  without  applica- 
tion and  diligence  ;  that  they  must  not  be  daunted  by 
difficulties,  but  conquer  them  by  patience  and  perse- 
verance ;  and  that,  above  all,  they  should  seek  elevation 
of  character,  without  which  capacity  is  worthless,  and 
worldly  success  is  naught. 

For  these  reasons  manual  labor  has  always  been 
made  one  of  the  most  prominent  means  of  improve- 
ment in  this  institution ;  and  its  dignity  and  usefulness 
have  been  constantly  asserted  by  precept  and  example. 
All  our  pupils,  whether  children  of  the  rich  or  of  the 
poor,  are  required  to  spend  a  part  of  their  time  daily  in 
the  industrial  department,  and  to  learn  to  work  with 
theh  hands,  so  that,  when  they  leave  the  school,  they 
may  not  only  be  instructed  in  the  various  branches  of 
study,  but  possessed  of  knowledge  of  some  profession, 
or  of  one  or  more  trades,  and,  above  all,  with  bodily 
vigor,  and  with  muscles  trained  to  the  performance  of 
the  tasks  which  await  them  in  the  wide  field  of  in- 
dustry. 

As  has  been  repeatedly  stated  in  former  reports,  the 
technical  department  of  the  institution  is  divided  into 
two  branches,  one  for  the  boys,  and  the  other  for  the 
girls.  The  business  of  both  of  these  branches  has  been 
conducted  with  rare  assiduity  and  fidelity  by  those  in 
charge,  and  with  very  gratifying  results. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  65 

/.  —  Workshop  for  the  Boys. 

Eegular  and  systematic  instruction  in  various  trades, 
such  as  seating  cane-bottomed  chairs,  manufacturing 
brooms,  making  mattresses,  and  upholstering  parlor 
furniture,  is  given  in  this  shop ;  and  the  pupils  are 
occupied  as  much  as  possible  with  work  of  a  solid  and 
serviceable  character,  either  for  the  use  of  the  institu- 
tion, or  for  sale. 

The  mode  of  instruction  employed  is  simple  and 
practical,  and  the  advancement  of  its  recipients  very 
satisfactory. 

The  workshop  for  the  boys,  as  well  as  that  for  the 
girls,  was  never  designed  as  a  source  of  pecuniary  profit 
to  the  institution.  We  endeavor  to  make  it  pay  its  own 
expenses  ;  but,  if  it  did  not  quite  do  that,  —  as  in  reality 
it  does  not,  —  the  benefit  to  the  pupils  in  training  them 
to  mechanical  skill,  and  habits  of  industry  and  regularity, 
would  still  make  it  our  duty  to  maintain  it,  and  keep  it 
under  the  management  and  supervision  of  teachers 
employed  dii-ectly  for  the  purpose  by  the  institution. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  an  arrangement  is  made 
by  which  the  pupils  of  educational  establishments  are 
placed  for  certain  specified  hours  of  the  day  under  the 
charge  of  a  contractor,  who,  in  addition  to  the  use  of 
the  shop  free  of  rent,  receives  the  avails  of  theii-  labor 
in  return  for  the  instruction  he  may  impart  to  them. 
Such  a  plan  is  very  convenient  indeed  where  it  does  not 
matter  whether  the  training  in  handicraft  is  nominal  or 
not.  It  saves  to  an  institution  a  certain  amount  of 
money,  and,  what  is  more  important  than  this,  it  lessens 
the  work  of  those  managers  who  have  a  natural  con- 


66  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

tempt  for  too  much  exertion ;  but  it  cannot  be  too 
severely  deprecated,  if  the  workshops  are  intended  to 
play  in  all  its  completeness  the  r61e  which  is  assigned  to 
them  in  the  education  of  the  blind.  The  advancement 
of  the  objects  of  an  institution-  is  proportioned  to  the 
degree  of  disinterestedness,  zeal,  efficiency,  and  aptitude, 
displayed  by  those  employed  to  carry  on  its  work,  and 
the  amount  of  influence  and  control  which  they  exercise 
over  its  beneficiaries.  Now,  a  contractor  who  aspires 
to  reap  as  much  pecuniary  benefit  from  his  undertakings 
as  possible,  however  tightly  he  may  be  bound  to  con- 
form with  the  terms  of  his  agreement,  cannot  perform 
the  duties  of  an  experienced  teacher  in  the  cUfFerent 
branches  of  handicraft  satisfactorily  and  acceptably. 
He  will  be  inclined  to  look  out  for  his  own  interests 
rather  than  for  those  of  the  pupils  committed  to  his 
charge ;  and  instead  of  giving  systematic  and  progres- 
sive mstruction  to  all  of  them,  and  especially  to  those 
who  need  it  the  most,  he  will  pay  particular  attention 
to  those  whose  labor  is  profitable  to  himself,  keeping 
them  at  work  on  what  they  can  do  best  at  the  expense 
of  breadth  of  training  and  the  versatility  which  it  im- 
parts. He  will  not  be  disposed  to  be  strict  with  them 
by  noticing  whether  they  stand  erect,  are  tidy,  and  free 
from  objectionable  habits,  and  use  proper  language, 
provided  they  work  assiduously,  and  turn  out  as  many 
salable  brooms  or  other  articles  as  possible.  He  will 
devote  all  his  time  and  energy  to  the  increasing  of  his 
own  business  by  urging  on  the  older  and  more  ad- 
vanced, and  will  have  none  left  to  spend  in  guiding  step 
by  step  the  young  and  unskilful,  who  are  of  feeble 
temperament,  and  cannot  use  their  hands  to  advantage, 


1879.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  67 

Thus,  while  the  latter  are  sure  to  be  neglected,  the 
former  will  be  employed  in  the  work  which  is  most 
lucrative,  without  any  reference  to  their  improvement 
in  the  knowledge  of  their  trades.  The  acquisition  of 
the  habits  of  prudence  and  economy  in  the  use  of  stock 
is  the  only  redeeming  feature  of  the  contract-system ; 
but  this  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  great  dis- 
advantages resulting  from  such  an  arrangement. 

//.  —  IVorkrooms  for  the  Girls. 

The  condition  of  the  girls'  branch  of  the  technical 
department  is  flourishing,  and  its  work  progresses  most 
satisfactorily.  No  pains  have  been  spared  in  rendering 
the  lessons  here  given  interesting  and  attractive,  and 
the  responsive  spirit  shown  by  the  pupils  is  very  gratify- 
ing to  their  instructors. 

A  few  of  our  girls  learn  seating  cane-bottomed  chairs, 
which  is  always  a  resource  for  a  blind  person,  particu- 
larly in  small  towns  and  villages  ;  but  a  livelier  interest 
is  shown  by  the  greater  number  in  the  various  branches 
of  needlework  which  are  taught  in  the  sewing-room, 
where  the  majority  of  the  older  girls  spend  a  part  of 
the  afternoon  Fancy-work  of  difl'erent  materials,  and 
more  especially  of  the  kind  known  among  blind  people 
as  bead-work,  develops  infinite  ramifications  in  their 
hands.  New  forms  are  invented  from  time  to  time,  and 
the  ingenious  work-mistress.  Miss  Dillingham,  is  con- 
stantly on  the  alert  to  obtain,  and  introduce  into  the 
school,  the  most  recent  and  graceful  patterns  of  various 
articles  which  are  esteemed  desirable  for  gifts,  &c.  The 
girls  derive  pecuniary  profit  from  the  disposal  of  the 
fruits  of  their  industry,  and  a  great  deal  of  zeal  is  natu- 
rally displayed  in  their  contrivance  and  manufacture, 


68  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Besides  these  lighter  forms  of  work,  the  sewing- 
machines  are  kept  constantly  going ;  and  linen  for  the 
household,  as  well  as  various  other  articles  of  use,  are 
prepared  by  the  pupils.  The  generosity  of  Messrs. 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  has  furnished  this  department  with 
two  of  their  new  "  improved  machines,"  the  number 
now  amounting  to  nine  in  all.  These  machines  continue 
to  be  held  in  the  highest  esteem  among  us,  and  are 
regarded  as  the  most  valuable  adjunct  to  our  sewing- 
rooms. 

It  has  also  been  deemed  necessary  to  add  to  oui-  stock 
one  of  Franz  &  Pope's  knitting-machines,  which  gives 
better  satisfaction  than  those  formerly  purchased  of  Mr. 
Bickford  of  New  York. 

A  variety  of  domestic  occupations  is  moreover  taught 
to  our  gu'ls.  Our  cottage  system  affords  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  learning  by  daily  practice  and  routine 
the  economy  of  a  frugal  and  orderly  household.  The 
pupils  manifest  interest,  application,  perseverance,  a 
willingness  to  work,  and  a  certain  degree  of  pride  in 
what  they  accomplish.  A  woman's  sphere  of  knowl- 
edge is  incomplete,  unless  it  embrace  some  acquaintance 
with  work  of  this  sort ;  and  it  is  especially  necessary  for 
blind  gii'ls  to  be  trained  m  matters,  which,  if  they  had 
sight,  would  be  to  them  almost  a  second  nature.  Mil- 
ton says, — 

"To  know 

That  which  before  us  lies  in  daily  life 
Is  the  prime  wisdom  ;  " 

and  every  well-organized  system  of  education  should 
afford  to  its  recipients  ample  facilities  for  instruction 
and  practice  in  the  ordinary  callings  of  daily  life, 


1879.J  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  —  No.  27.  69 

Department  of  Physical  Training. 

That  the  perfection  of  the  operations  of  the  mind  is 
dependent  upon  the  soundness  of  the  machinery  by 
means  of  which  it  manifests  itself,  and  that  a  heakhy 
and  vigorous  body  is  indispensable  to  success  in  any 
active  form  of  intellectual  life,  is  too  evident  to  need 
demonstration. 

Emerson  says  that  the  first  thing  in  every  efficient 
man  is  a  fine  animal.  Experience  shows,  that,  without 
this,  nothing  that  is  truly  remarkable  can  be  achieved. 
Genius  is  very  seldom,  if  ever,  nurtured  in  a  weak  and 
diseased  frame.  No  man  is  at  his  best  without  physical 
vigor.  It  is  the  strength  of  the  body  that  nourishes  the 
power  of  the  mind.  In  endeavoring  to  bring  out  the 
beauty  and  brilliancy  of  the  gem,  we  must  not  neglect 
the  casket  which  enshrines  it.  There  can  be  no  health- 
ful or  wholesome  action  of  the  mind  or  the  moral  per- 
ceptions, if  the  physique  is  enervated.  The  age  of  an 
animal  life  preceded  the  unparalleled  intellectual  and 
aesthetic  development  of  ancient  Greece.  The  works  of 
Ictinus  and  Phidias,  of  Zeuxis  and  Praxiteles,  of  Plato 
and  Thucydides,  of  ^schylus  and  Demosthenes,  were 
produced  when  the  first  care  in  that  country  was  to 
make  a  man  a  magnificent  creature,  when  corporeal 
weakness  was  considered  a  positive  disgrace,  and  physi- 
cal deformity  was  not  allowed  to  exist,  and  when  beauty 
and  bodily  vigor  were  classed  among  the  noblest  virtues. 

Wiry  muscles  and  firm  flesh,  good  digestion,  the 
power  of  endurance  of  all  kinds  of  labor,  and  a  fresh 
active  brain,  are  highly  essential  for  accurate  perception, 
retentive  memory,  clear  judgment,  and  a  pleasant  frame 


70  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

of  mind ;  and  these,  as  well  as  a  blooming  complexion, 
graceful  mien,  and  erect  carriage,  can  be  secured  and 
preserved  only  by  regular  and  systematic  exercise. 

Physical  training  performs  an  important  part  in  pro- 
moting bodily  vigor  and  intellectual  growth,  as  well  as 
in  combating  the  causes  which  tend  to  the  deterioration 
of  the  material  frame,  and  lead  to  disease.  It  prevents 
excessive  stimulation  and  tension  of  the  mind,  which 
causes  a  greater  or  less  congestion  of  the  brain,  mani- 
festing itself  by  chronic  headaches,  and  bleedings  at  the 
nose,  and  disorders  of  the  digestive  and  nutritive  func- 
tions and  the  circulation.  It  lays  the  foundation  of 
permanent  strength,  and  brings  the  powers  of  the  mate- 
rial frame  under  the  immediate  control  of  the  will.  Its 
claims  are  urged  by  distinguished  physiologists,  and 
recognized  by  eminent  educators  ;  and  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  of  good  health  and  bodily  vigor  is  no  longer 
regarded  as  a  sectarian  hobby.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
universally  admitted,  that  unless  the  wonderful  mechan- 
ism, which  is  at  once  the  domicile  and  the  feeder  of  the 
mind,  be  kept  in  the  highest  state  of  efficiency,  no 
success  is  attainable  in  any  of  the  learned  professions, 
and  I  may  safely  say  in  any  calling. 

Such,  in  brief,  are  the  beneficial  effects,  and  such  the 
general  considerations,  which  call  for  the  physical  cul- 
ture of  all  children.  But,  besides  these,  the  loss  of 
sight  is  a  positive  hinderance  to  the  free  and  almost 
ceaseless  exercise  of  the  muscular  system  which  is  neces- 
sary in  youth  for  the  full  development  of  the  bodily 
powers ;  and  its  unfavorable  effects  upon  the  material 
organization  of  the  blind  are  so  obvious,  that  a  thorough 
course  of  gymnastic  training  is  demanded  with  tenfold 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No    27.  71 

force  in  all  schools  established  for  their  benefit.  High 
shoulders,  drooping  heads,  a  cadaverous  complexion,  con- 
tracted chests,  lax  muscles,  a  shuffling  gait,  a  hacking 
cough,  and  an  embarrassing  uncertainty  regarding  the 
proper  place  to  locate  the  arms  and  legs,  are  some 
of  the  undesirable  physical  characteristics  of  our  pupils  ; 
and  they  must  be  remedied  as  far  as  may  be,  and  the 
proper  means  must  be  assiduously  employed  in  order 
to  put  their  material  mechanism  in  as  good  order  as 
possible.  The  modes  of  exercise  which  brought  forth 
strength  and  beauty  in  ancient  days,  if  adhered  to  per- 
sistently, will  undoubtedly  eradicate  special  weaknesses 
and  defects,  promote  symmetry,  increase  vigor  to  ma- 
turity, and  sustain  it  unfailingly.  It  is  a  self-evident 
fact,  that  in  order  to  make  good  scholars,  efficient  musi- 
cians, skilful  mechanics,  nay,  men  and  women  fit  for  life, 
and  able  to  perform  its  ordinary  duties,  we  must  first, 
and  above  all,  build  securely  the  pedestal  upon  which 
the  statue  of  their  education  and  professional  training  is 
to  be  raised.  Without  this,  all  attempts  to  reach  the 
highest'  intellectual  and  moral  development  will  prove 
abortive.  A  school  that  makes  no  provision  to  prevent 
its  beneficiaries  from  becoming  sickly,  crooked,  mal- 
formed, and  feeble,  both  in  mind  and  body,  is  doing  its 
work  in  the  wrong  way,  and  its  usefulness  is  of  a  very 
doubtful  character. 

The  erection  of  a  new  and  spacious  gymnasium  upon 
the  premises  of  the  institution  is  justly  regarded  as  an 
important  step,  from  which  the  most  beneficent  results 
may  be  anticipated. 

During  the  past  year  the  interior  of  the  new  struc- 
ture has  been  finished  with  hard  wood,  and  made  ready 


72  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

for  use.  Owing  to  the  pressure  of  work,  however,  for 
completing  the  repairs  and  improvements  undertaken 
in  the  main  building  before  the  commencement  of  the 
school  session,  there  was  hardly  any  time  left  for  select- 
ing and  arranging  the  necessary  apparatus.  This  will 
soon  be  accomplished,  and  there  will  be  inaugurated  a 
system  of  physical  culture  which  is  calculated  to  make 
the  pupils  well-proportioned,  strong,  and  healthy,  supple- 
jointed,  and  graceful  in  repose  or  in  motion,  and  so  erect, 
too,  as  to  insure,  whether  on  foot,  sitting,  or  lying  down, 
ample  room  for  the  proper  working  of  all  the  organs  of 
the  human  frame. 

The  female  pupils  have  received  regular  and  thorough 
physical  training  during  the  past  year.  Both  the  gallery 
and  new  gymnasium  have  afforded  ample  opportunities 
for  this.  They  have  been  drilled  with  special  care  in 
calisthenic  exercises,  and  the  results  are  very  satisfactory. 
Grace  in  attitude,  and  comeliness  in  appearance,  have 
been  developed,  and  a  greater  amount  of  intellectual 
work  has  been  accomplished.  Nervous  restlessness  is 
gradually  allayed,  and  headaches  and  other  ailments  are 
not  of  as  frequ'-nt  occurrence  as  they  used  to  be.  The 
tendency  to  distortion  incident  to  the  effects  of  the  loss 
of  sight  is  overcome  to  a  considerable  extent,  and,  what 
is  especially  noticeable,  a  strong,  free,  and  vigorous 
movement  is  substituted  for  the  listless  shambling  or 
the  nervous  jerkmg,  which  are  common  characteristics 
among  the  pupils  of  those  institutions  where  _the  claims 
of  physical  culture  are  utterly  ignored.  With  the  prog- 
ress of  time,  and  the  improvements  in  our  methods 
which  experience  will  suggest,  it  is  hoped  that  our  sys- 
tem of  bodily  trainmg  will  become  still  more  complete, 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  73 

and  bear  even  more  abundant  fruit  in  the  future  than  it 
has  done  in  the  past. 

Laura  Bridgman. 

This  most  interesting  woman,  the  silent  guest,  now, 
with  one  exception,  the  eldest  inhabitant,  of  the  institu- 
tion, continues  to  reside  with  us,  and  to  awaken  never- 
falHng  interest  in  the  minds  of  all  who  visit  the  estab- 
lishment. Her  pathetic  history  encircles  her  with  a 
halo  which  no  worldly  success  or  brilliancy  could  give  ; 
and  she  appeals  mutely  to  the  tenderest  feelings  of  the 
human  heart.  The  story  of  her  life  is  indissolubly  bound 
up  with  that  of  him  who  was  more  to  her  than  a  father, 
the  friend  and  teacher  who  struck  the  rock  of  silence  that 
the  fountain  of  knowedge  might  gush,  forth,  infusing  with 
Promethean  fire  the  mind  which  must  otherwise  have 
remained  dormant  forever.  Round  him  her  earliest 
memories  entwine.  His  loving  care  and  watchfulness 
were  the  gate  through  which  she  entered  into  intelligent 
and  conscious  life.  It  is  not  my  purpose  here  to  trace 
the  details  of  her  rescue  from  the  hopeless  barriers 
which  hemmed  her  in  on  every  side  to  an  existence  of 
intelligence,  activity,  and  happiness.  Enough  is  known 
to  you  of  the  wonderful  way  in  which  that  isolated 
mind  was  liberated  from  its  dark  tomb.  The  story  of 
Laura  Bridgman  is  engraved  in  the  memory  of  all  who 
were  then  living,  and  has  been  handed  down  as  one  of 
the  greatest  monuments  of  human  benevolence  and 
wisdom.  I  would  merely  give  a  brief  account  of  her 
present  condition,  in  which  I  am  certain  that  all  who 
have  known  her  will  feel  interested. 

Laura's  health  is  more  delicate  than  of  old ;  but  her 


74  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

mental  activity  and  sprightliness  continue  to  distinguish 
her  as  vividly  to-day  as  they  did  in  her  earliest  youth. 
She  is  decidedly  a  living  and  feeling  person  ;  and  there 
prevails  more  liveliness  and  animation  in  the  room 
where  she  is  than  in  a  group  of  five  or  six  people  of 
phlegmatic  temperament.  If  I  may  be  permitted  to 
use  a  simile,  Laura,  with  her  warm,  excitable  feelings, 
keen  and  quick  perception,  rapid  intellectual  processes, 
and  vivid  emotional  nature,  surrounded  as  she  is  by  an 
impenetrable  wall  of  silence,  is  like  the  snow-covered 
Hecla,  whose  icy  barriers  enshroud  the  burning  fire  within. 
Her  life  is  necessarily  a  quiet  one  ;  but  she  welcomes 
every  little  variety  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  child. 
One  must  be  with  Laura  in  order  to  learn  how  great 
may  be  the  value  of  little  pleasures.  She  is  extremely 
fond  of  the  institution,  preferring  it  as  a  residence  to 
any  other  place.  Every  new  book  which  she  reads 
with  her  delicate  fingers  is  an  era  in  her  life,  every 
piece  of  work  accomplished  a  little  triumph  to  rejoice 
over.  The  loss  of  her  best  earthly  friend  has  cast  a 
shadow  over  her  life,  and  she  treasures  his  memory  with 
an  orphan's  fidelity.  Her  religious  nature  is  very 
active ;  and  her  remarks  on  such  subjects  are  often 
original  and  striking.  She  also  puts  a  great  deal  of 
warmth  and  vivacity  into  all  her  friendships  and  ac- 
quaintanceships. It  is  usually  a  fancy  of  hers  to  bestow 
the  title  of  '•  brother  "  or  "  sister  "  upon  a  dear  friend. 
Last  spring  she  said  to  a  young  clergyman  who  re- 
newed his  acquaintance  with  her,  "  I  love  to  meet  the 
saints."  She  is  never  so  happy  as  when  making  herself 
useful,  and  is  much  interested  in  the  sewing-room  for 
the  gu'ls,  where  she  assists. 


1879.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  75 

A  new  work  on  Laura  is  in  course  of  preparation  by 
Professor  G.  Stanley  Hall,  now  resident  in  Berlin. 
Professor  Hall  writes  from  that  city,  that  the  scientific 
men  of  Germany  are  very  much  interested  in  her  case. 
Two  articles  from  his  pen  have  already  been  pub- 
lished,—  one  in  "  The  Mind,"  an  English  psychological 
quarterly,  and  the  other  in  "  The  Nation."  Professor 
Hall  spent'  some  time  in  the  institution,  devoting  every 
moment  of  his  visit  to  a  close  scientific  observation  of 
Laura's  case  in  all  its  bearings ;  and  his  book  is  looked 
forward  to  as  one  of  the  highest  value. 

A  kind  and  noble  friend  of  Laura's  in  Edinburgh, 
Dr.  David  Brodie,  conceived  some  time  ago  the  idea  of 
making  up  a  present  in  money  for  her  among  people 
who  were  interested  in  her  case  in  England  and  Scot- 
land. His  efi"orts  met  with  a  prompt  and  generous 
response.  It  was  most  touching  to  find,  that,  after  the 
lapse  of  so  many  years  since  her  misfortune  first  occu- 
pied the  public  mind,  there  were  so  many  yet  living 
who  entertained  the  same  warm  and  friendly  interest 
that  was  called  forth  so  long  ago.  Indeed,  it  may 
most  truly  be  said,  that,  although  afilicted,  Laura  has 
always  been  very  rich  in  friends.  Though  born  to  the 
greatest  of  all  calamities,  that  of  being  cut  off"  from  all 
communication  with  her  kind,  she  was  deeply  blest  in 
her  redemption  from  that  grievous  misfortune.  The 
noble  act  which  rescued  her  from  a  doom  too  terrible 
for  the  mind  to  dwell  upon  drew  the  hearts  of  all  men 
to  her,  and  crowned  her  young  life  with  joy  and  aff"ec- 
tions  which  must  blossom  and  bear  fruit  to  all  eternity. 
Even  the  hardest  heart  must  be  softened  in  contemplat- 
ing her  afflictions.     She  has  never  awakened  any  but 


76  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  tenderest  feelings  in  all  who  have  come  in  contact 
with  her ;  and  the  path  where  so  many  thorns  were 
strewn  has  been  spread  with  the  fairest  flowers  that  love 
and  friendship  and  unselfish  benevolence  could  scatter  ; 
and  thus  may  it  be  to  the  end  ! 

Closing  Remarks. 

In  submitting  this  report,  gentlemen,  to  your  forbear- 
ing consideration,  I  beg  leave  to  repeat  in  a  few  words 
that  no  efforts  have  been  spared  to  increase  our  educa- 
tional facilities,  and  to  secure  to  our  pupils  the  highest 
degree  of  usefulness,  comfort,  and  happiness.  Our 
sphere  of  action  is,  of  course,  circumscribed  by  the 
limited  means  at  our  disposal,  and  many  desirable 
things  and  helpful  appliances  are  beyond  our  reach ; 
but  nothing  that  seems  to  be  essential  for  carrying  out 
the  work  of  the  institution  in  an  efficient  and  thorough 
manner  is  omitted.  We  endeavor  to  improve  our  sys- 
tem of  instruction  and  training  from  year  to  year  by 
every  possible  means,  to  expand  its  scope,  and  to  render 
it  a  powerful  agent  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition 
of  the  blind  in  general,  and  for  theu'  elevation  in  the 
social  and  moral  scale  to  the  same  level  with  their  more 
fortunate  fellow-men.  In  spite  of  the  many  obstacles 
and  difficulties  encountered  in  the  application  of  this 
system,  its  workings  have  thus  far  proved  successful. 
An  aspiration  after  self-support  and  independence  is  the 
primary  manifestation  of  its  effects ;  and  dignity,  self- 
respect,  and  refinement  are  its  ripe  fruit.  This  is  so 
true,  that  we  may  as  well  'expect  to  see  the  organized 
beggary  of  southern  Italy  transplanted  and  thriving  in 
the  uncongenial  soil  of  Massachusetts,  as  to  imagine  the 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  77 

educated  and  industrious  blind  of  New  England  march- 
ing under  the  same  banner  with  those  of  the  old  world, 
asserting  the  rights  of  pauperism  by  the  lamp-posts,  or 
clamoring  for  alms  in  the  churchyards. 

It  is  always  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  acknowledge 
my  obligations  to  all  who  are  associated  with  me,  for 
the  valuable  assistance  which  they  have  given  in  the 
promotion  of  the  comfort,  happiness,  and  welfare  of  the 
household,  the  efficiency  of  the  school,  and  the  general 
prosperity  of  the  institution.  By  their  genuine  sym- 
pathy and  kindness  of  heart,  then*  rare  combination  of 
perfect  gentleness  with  a  rational  degree  of  firmness, 
their  tact,  and  their  untiring  devotion  to  their  charge, 
they  have  rendered  most  valuable  services  in  the  educa- 
tion and  training  of  our  pupils,  and  have  won  alike  their 
respect  and  gratitude.  » 

In  conclusion,  gentlemen,  I  desire  to  express  to  the 
members  of  your  board  my  heartfelt  thanks  for  your 
courtesy,  kindness,  confidence,  and  cordial  cooperation. 
Whatever  has  been  done  during  the  last  four  years  to 
increase  the  efficiency,  and  advance  the  working  power, 
of  the  institution,  is  largely  due  to  your  broad  views, 
wise  resolutions,  and  liberal  policy.  If  any  thing  has 
been  neglected  which  might  have  been  accomplished, 
the  fault  lies  neither  with  your  board,  nor  with  my 
assistants,  but  with  myself. 

Respectfully  submitted  by 

M.   ANAGNOS. 


78  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


Among  the  pleasant  duties  incident  to  the  close  of  the  j-ear  is 
that  of  expressing  our  heartfelt  thanks  and  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs,  societies,  proprietors, 
managers,  editors  and  publishers,  for  concerts  and  various  musi- 
cal entertainments,  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures,  readings,  and 
for  an  excellent  supply-  of  periodicals  and  weekly  papers. 

As  I  have  said  in  previous  reports,  these  favors  are  not  onlj'  a 
source  of  pleasure  and  happiness  to  our  pupils,  but  also  a  valuable 
means  of  aesthetic  culture,  of  social  intercoiirse,  and  of  mental 
stimulus  and  improvement.  As  far  as  we  know,  there  is  no  com- 
munity in  the  world  which  does  half  so  much  for  the  gratification 
and  improvement  of  its  unfortunate  members  as  that  of  Boston 
does  for  our  pupils. 

/.  — Acknowledgments  for  Concerts.  &c.,  in  the  City. 

To  the  Harvard  Musical  Association,  through  its  president,  Mr. 
John  S.  Dwight,  for  fifty  season-tickets  to  eight  symphony  concerts. 

To  Messrs.  Tompkins  and  Hill,  proprietors  of  the  Boston  Thea- 
tre, for  admitting  parties  in  unlimited  numbers  to  ten  operas,  and 
also  to  H.  M.  S.  Pinafore.  To  this  latter,  the  invitation  was  given 
in  the  most  cordial  form  of  carte  blanche  for  one  week  and  a  half; 
and  all  the  members  of  our  household,  old  and  young,  had  an 
opportunity  to  attend  the  popular  opera  more  than  once,  thanks  to 
the  great  generosit}-  of  the  proprietors,  who,  however  crowded 
their  theatre  ma}'  be,  alwa^'s  make  room  for  "-their  friends,"  the 
blind. 

To  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  through  its  president,  Mr. 
C.  C.  Perkins,  for  tickets  to  five  of  their  grand  concerts. 


1879.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  79 

To  Boylston  Club,  through  its  conductor,  Mr.  George  L.  Osgood, 
and  its  secretary,  Mr.  F.  H.  Ratcliffe,  for  admission  to  three  con- 
certs. 

To  Mr.  R.  M.  Field,  manager  of  the  Boston  Museum,  for  an 
invitation  to  children's  Pinafore. 

To  Messrs.  Hathaway  and  Pond,  for  fifty  tickets  to  their  Wil- 
Jielmj  concerts. 

To  Mr.  H,  C.  Brown,  for  admission  to  a  series  of  concerts  by 
his  band. 

To  Miss  Edith  Abell,  for  admission  to  her  concert,  in  which  the 
"  Stabat  Mater  "  was  given. 

To  Madame  Cappiani  and  the  Alpine  quartette  we  are  simi- 
larly indebted. 

In  the  line  of  purely  classical  music  we  are  under  great  obli-  - 
gations  to  the  Euterpe  Society,  for  admission  to  their  series  of 
four  chamber  concerts  ;  to  Mr.  W.  H.  Sherwood,  for  permission  to 
attend  his  series  of  ten  piano-forte  recitals  ;  to  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang,  for 
admissions  to  his  series  of  two  concerts  ;  to  Mr.  J.  A.  Preston,  for 
a  similar  favor ;  and  to  Miss  Charlotte  Hawes,  for  an  invitation  to 
attend  one  of  her  lectures  on  music. 

Our  pupils  have  also  occasionally  attended  some  of  the  concerts 
which  are  free  to  the  public. 

We  are  also  under  great  obligations  to  Mr.  J.  T.  Zimmerman 
for  an  invitation  to  the  Siege  of  Paris,  the  particulars  of  which 
were  clearly  explained  to  our  pupils  by  his  agent. 

II.  —  Acknoioledgment  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  fine  concerts  and  miscellaneous  entertainments 
given  in  the  hall  of  the  Institution  we  are  under  great  obligations 
to  the  following  eminent  artists  :  — 

Miss  Fanny  Kellogg,  Mr.  John  Orth,  and  Mr.  Wulf  Fries. 

Madame  Rametti  and  several  of  her  pupils. 

Mr.  Hanchette  and  Miss  Claybor. 

Miss  Ware,  pianist,  and  Mr.  Akeroid,  violinist. 

Mr.  Preston,  organist  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  Cambridge. 

Miss  Dow,  vocalist,  and  Miss  Bennett,  reader. 


80 


INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


///.  — Acknowledgments  for  Lectures  and  Readings. 

For  a  series  of  lectures  and  readings  we  are  greatly  indebted  to 
the  following  kind  friends  who  have  generously  volunteered  to 
interest  and  entertain  our  pupils :  To  Dr.  F,  W.  Holland  of 
Cambridge,  Professor  James  Rosedale  of  Jerusalem,  Mr.  R.  W. 
Jamieson  of  South  Boston,  Miss  S.  E.  Oglevee  of  Springfield,  O., 
Miss  Ellen  Reed  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  Miss  Mason  of  Boston. 

IV.  —  Acknowledgments  far  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 

The  editors  and  publishers  of  the  following  reviews,  magazines, 
and  semi-monthl}"  and  weekly  papers,  continue  to  be  very  kind  and 
liberal  in  sending  us  their  publications  gratuitous!}',  which  are 
always  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with  interest :  — 


The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education 

The  Atlantic 

The  Christian    . 

The  Christian  Register 

The  Folio 

The  Sunday  Herald  . 

Unitarian  Review 

The  Watchman 

Wide  Awake 

The  Salem  Register  . 

Illustrated  Scientific  News 

Scribner's  Monthl}^    . 

St.  Nicholas 

The  Christian  Union 

The  International  Review  . 

National  Quarterly  Review 

Musical  Review 

The  N.  Y.  Weekly  Post     . 

Journal  of  Health 

The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy 

Lippincotts'  Magazine 

The  Penn  Monthly     . 

Robinson's  Epitome  of  Literature 


Boston,  Mass. 


Salem,  Mass. 
New  York,  N.Y., 


Dansville,  N.  Y. 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Philadelphia,  Penn. 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  81 

The  Normal  Monthl}'  Review  .  Sliippenshurg,  Penn. 
Indiana  School  Journal  .  .  .  Indianopolis^  Ind. 
Canada  School  Journal       .         .         .  Toronto,  Can. 

Goodson's  Gazette,  Va.  Inst,  for  Deaf-Mates  and  Blind. 
Tablet      .         .  West  Va.  "  "  "        ^' 

Mirror      .         .         Michigan  *'  "  "        '• 

Companion       .         Minnesota '•'■  "  ''         " 

Philomathean  Argus  .         .  Ohio  Inst,  for  the  Blind. 

Mistletoe loiva    "     "     "       " 

II  Mentore  dei  Ciechi         .         .         .         Florence,  Italy. 


I  desire  again  to  render  the  most  heart}'  thanks,  in  behalf  of  all 
our  pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  thus  nobl}'  remembered 
them.  The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  attentions 
have  sown  have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will  continue  to 
bear  fruit  in  after-years ;  and  the  memory  of  man}-  of  these 
delightful  and  instructive  occasions  and  valuable  gifts  will  be 
retained  through  life. 

M.  Anagnos. 


82 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


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1879.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


83 


Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account. 
Dr. 


1878-1879. 


To  cash  paid  on  Auditor's  drafts 

city  of  Boston  for  taxes 
for  re-investments 
on  hand  Sept.  30,  1879 


.$66,.348  66 
166  40 

.  32,914  97 
579  21 

$100,009  24 


1878. 

Sept.  30. 

Oct.      1. 

15. 

23. 

30. 

Nov.  29. 
Dec.  11. 

1879. 

Jan.   1. 

2, 
4. 

20. 
25. 


Ck. 

By  balance  of  former  account $2,649  67 

cash  from  State  of  Massachusetts        .         .         .      7,500  00 
From  six  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  6  per 

cent 150  00 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  §3,500,  at  6  per 

cent 105  00 

interest  on  note,  $12,000 390  00 

dividend  on  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad   .  90  00 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  $8,000,  at  6  per 

cent 240  00 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  $3,500,  at  7  per 

cent 122  50 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  $8,000,  at  6  per 

cent 240  00 

State  of  Massachusetts 7,500  00 

interest  on  note  of  S18,000,  at  6  per  cent  .         540  00 

$20,000,  at  6  per  cent  .         646  67 

rents 239  56 

M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 
J.  B.  Winsor,  for  board  and  tuition 

of  son $300  00 

incomeof  legacy  to  Laura  Bridgman  .  85  00 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  for  clothing 

for  H.  Lanergan  .         .         .         20  00 

town  of  Dedham,  account  of  Mary 

O'Hare 22  19 

Dr.    A.    W.    Burnham,    account  of 

daughter 50  00 

city  of  Boston,  for  tuning  .  .  600  00 
sale  of  books  in  raised  print  .  .  84  15 
receipts  of  work  department :  — 

for  October  .  .  $1,315  28 
November  .  .  1,037  56 
December    .         .       871  50 

3,224  34 


Amount  carried  forward 


■     4,385  68 
$24,799  08 


81 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


1879. 
Jan.  25. 

Feb.    1. 
21. 

24. 
Mar.   1. 

Apr.    1. 
15. 


28. 


Amount  brought  forward 


.$24,799  08 


From  six  months'  interest  on  note,  S15,000,  at  6  per 

cent      ......•• 

interest  on  deposit   ....•• 

William   Hunt,   executor  of  will   of   William 

Taylor  of  Tewksbury,  account  legacy  . 
dividend  on  Fitchburg  Railroad 
six  months'  interest  on  note,  $25,000,  at  6  per 

cent      ......•• 

State  of  Massachusetts 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  6  per 

cent      ....•••• 

six  months'  interest  on  note,  $3,500,  at  6  per 

cent     ....•••• 

M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following  :  ■ 


May  20. 

27. 
29. 

June  12. 

24. 

July    1. 

5. 


450  00 
155  11 

700  00 
135  00 

750  00 
7,500  00 

150  00 

105  00 


sale  of  books  in  raised  print 
tuning      ...... 

J.  B.  Winsor,  donation    . 
Nebraska  Institution,  for  map. 
sale  of  brooms  .         ... 

writing-tablets  .... 

admission-tickets      .... 

old  barrels,  junk,  &c. 
Mrs.  Knowlton,  account  of  daughter, 
salesroom,  for  storing  coal 
town  of  Brimfield,  account  of  George 
Needham      ..... 

Redmond  Geary,  for  travelling  ex- 
penses ...... 

Mrs.  Quimby,  account  of  daughter, 
receipts  of  work  department :  — 

for  January  .  .  $744  07 
February  .  .  457  53 
March         .         .        763  15 


$229  36 
531  00 
100  00 

37  00 

38  63 
8  43 

27  44 

66  78 

36  00 

6  85 

5  45 


38 
00 


1,964  75 


payment  of  note        .... 
interest  on  note        .... 
dividend  from  Boston  and  Providence  R 
six:  months'    interest  on  note  of  $8,000 

per  cent         ..... 
six  months'  interest  on  note  of  $3,500 

per  cent         ..... 
interest  ten  days,  $5,000  ... 
State  of  Massachusetts    . 
six    months'   interest   on   note,   $18,000 

per  cent         ..... 

Amount  carried  forward      .... 


R. 


at  6 

at  7 

at  6 


3,058  07 

12,000  00 

379  17 

90  00 

240  00 

122  50 

8  33 

7,500  00 

540  00 


.$5b,682  26 


1879.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


85 


1879. 

July 


Amount  brought  fonvard      .....         .^58,682  26 

9.  From  payment  of  mortgage  note        ....    20,000  00 

interest  on  mortgage  note         ....         623  33 

28.  M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following  :  — 

«ity  of  Boston,  for  tuning         .         .     $300  00 

sale  of  books  in  raised  print     .         .        115  55 

Henry  T.  Bray,  for  board  and  tuition 

of  self 200  00 

receipts  of  work  department :  — 

for  April .         .         .     $815  04 

May   .         .         .    1,366  15 

June  .         ...    1,241  54 

3,422  73 

six  months'    interest  on   note,    $15,000,  at   6 
per  cent 
Aug.  1.  interest  on  deposit    . 

20.  State  of  Vermont     . 

Rhode  Island 
Connecticut 
Sept.  1.  six  months'  interest  on  Eastern  R.R.  bonds 

Fitchburg  Raih-oad  dividend    . 
3,  six  months'  interest  on  note  of  $25,000,  at  6 

per  cent         ...... 

17.  State  of  New  Hampshire .... 

30.  M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following  :  — 

A.  W.  Burnham,  account  of  daughter,  $50  00 
inconre  of  legacy  to  Laura  Bridgman,  40  00 
C.  A.  Fairbanks,  account  of  son'     .         25  00 

tuning 103  00 

J.  J.  Mundo,  account  of  daughter    .         25  00 

sale  of  old  junk,  &c.  ...  54  80 

books  in  raised  print     .         .         38  36 

writing-tablets       .         .         .  19  46 

brooms .         .         .         •         •         37  26 

receipts  of  concert    .         .         •         .  7  00 

admission-tickets      .         .         .         •         37  57 

Miss  Morton,  account  of  Ida  House  .  7  75 

Mrs.  Knowlton,  account  of  daughter,  12  00 

salesroom,  for  use  of  horse  and  wagon 

one  year        .....        180  00 
receipts  of  work  department  :  — 

for  July  .  .  .  $1,100  76 
August  .  .  788  18 
September  .        .    1,870  48 


4,038  28 

450  00 

83  75 

1,500  00 

3,000  00 

3,300  00 

175  00 

135  00 

750  00 
2,875  00 


3,759  42 


4,396  62 
$100,009  24 


86 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


AxALYSis  OF  Treasurer's  Accounts. 
The  Treasurer's  account  shows  that  the  total  receipts  during 

the  year  were $100,009  24 

Less  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year       .         .  2,649  67 


',359  57 


Ordinary  Receipts. 
From  the  State  of  Massachusetts     .         .         .         830,000  00 
beneficiaries  of  other  States  and  individuals  .  11,559  77 
interest,  coupons,  and  rent     ....     8,105  92 

Extraordinary  Receipts. 
From  work  department,  for  sale  of  articles  made  by 


149,665  69 


the  blind,  &c 

payment  of  mortgage  notes  . 
sale  of  books  and  maps 

112,371  24 

32,000  00 

504  42 

tuning  ....... 

.     1,534  00 

legacy  and  donation       .... 

800  00 

sale  of  writing-tablets  .... 

27  89 

brooms,  account  boys'  shop 
old  junk,  barrels,  &c. 

75  89 
121  58 

admission-tickets       .         .         .         . 

65  01 

receipts  of  concert         .... 
salesroom,  for  storing  coal     . 

7  00 
6  85 

use  of  horse  and  wagon  one  year  . 

ISO  00 
47,693  88 

• 

$97,359  57 

General  Analysis  of  the  Steward's  Account. 
Dr. 
Receipts  from  Auditor's  drafts         .         .         .  $66,348  66 

Less  amount  due  Steward  Oct.  1,  1878    .      $546  63 
balance  in  Steward's  hands  Oct.  1, 
1879 


773  16 


1,319  79 


Cr. 


Ordinai-y  expenses  as  per  schedule  annexed     .  S38,363  10 

Extraordinary  expenses  as  per  schedule  annexed     .  26,665  77 


5,028  87 


55,028  87 


1879.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


87 


Analysis  of  ExPExniTUREs  for  the  Year  exding  Sept.  30,  1879, 
AS  PER  Steward's  Account. 


Meat,  24,302  lbs 

Fish,  3,997  lbs 

Butter,  4,755  lbs 

Rice,  saa^o,  &c.    ..... 

Bread,  flour,  meal,  &c.^ 
Potatoes  and  other  vegetables 

Fruit 

Milk,  21,400  qts 

Sugar,  2,919  lbs 

Tea  and  coffee,  622  lbs. 

Groceries     ...... 

Gas  and  oil  ..... 

Coal  and  wood     ..... 

Sundry  articles  of  consumption   . 
Salaries,  supei'intendence,  and  instruction 
Domestic  wages  ..... 

Outside  aid  ..... 

Medicine  and  medical  aid    . 

Furniture  and  bedding 

Clothing  and  mending 

Musical  instruments    .... 

Expenses  of  tuning  department  . 

"         "  boys'  shoj? 

"         "  printing-office  . 

"  "  stable  .... 
Books,  stationery,  and  school  apparatus 
Ordinary  construction  and  repairs 
Taxes  and  insurance  .... 
Travelling  expenses  .... 
Rent  of  office  in  town  .... 
Board  of  blind  men     .... 

"      "  man  and  clerk  during  vacation 
Sundries 

Kxtraor dinar y  Expenses. 
Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs 
Bills  to  be  refunded     .... 
Beneficiaries  of  Harris  Fund 
Expenses  of  work  department 


$11,621  34 

65  57 

600  00 

.  14,378  86 


$2,177 

01 

220 

55 

1,153 

50 

99 

30 

160 

64 

729 

13 

325 

50 

958  47 

245 

98 

83 

54 

393 

41 

371 

92 

2,199 

42 

214 

69 

14,827 

85 

3,964 

94 

181 

14 

32 

57 

1,146 

30 

13 

94 

83 

31 

807 

90 

74 

36 

2,197 

60 

344 

42 

1,663 

89 

1 ,322 

48 

1,617 

26 

130 

34 

250 

00 

252 

13 

85 

72 

33 

89 

$38,363  10 


26,665  77 
f65,028  87 


I  There  was  a  large  stock  of  flour  and  meal  on  hand  Oct.  1, 1878,  which  accounts  for  the 
smallness  of  this  item. 


88  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Department, 
Oct.  1,  1879. 

L{ahiiitie.<>. 
Due  institution  for  investments  at  sundry  times 

since  the  first  date $38,889  83 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts   .         .         .       2,007  62 


Assets. 
Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1879 
Debts  due   ...... 

,  1879    . 
1878   . 

^ear 

.     $4,467  83 
.       1,400  66 

.   $12,371  24 
.       2,007  62 

5,868  49 

$35,028  96 

Balance  against  work  departiflent  Oct.  1, 
((           ti          i(              ((                (( 

$35,028  96 
33,138  49 

$1,890  47 

Dr. 

Cash  received  for  sales,  &c.,  during  the  j 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  . 

$14,378  86 

.     $3,136  31 
.       2,504  14 
.       8,738  41 

Cr. 
Salaries  and  wages  paid  blind  persons 

"       "         "         "     seeing     " 
Sundries  for  stock,  &c.        .         .         . 

#14,378  86 

1879.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


89 


Account  of  Stock  Oct. 

1,  1879. 

Real  estate 

$247,800  00 

Railroad  stock 

26,970  00 

Notes  secured  by  mortgage   . 

96,00U  00 

U  S.  bond     .... 

5,000  00 

Cash 

1,352  37 

Stock  in  work  department     . 

4,467  83 

Household  furniture 

16,581  41 

Provisions  and  supplies 

470  45 

Wood  and  coal 

2,204  86 

Musical  department,  viz.,  — 

One  large  organ 

$5,500  00 

Three  small  organs    . 

730  00 

Forty-three  pianos     . 

10,992  00 

Violins       .... 

150  00 

Brass  and  reed  instruments 

1,926  53 

19,298  53 

Books  in  printing-office 

3,100  00 

Stereotype  plates  . 

• 

1,400  00 

School  furniture  and  apparatus 

5,214  20 

Musical  library 

600  00 

Library  of  books  in  common  type 

1,050  00 

"        "      "       "  raised  type 

5,000  00 

Boys'  shop    .... 

115  50 

Stable  and  tools    . 

990  00 

Boat 

20  00 

$437,635  15 

90 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


LIST   OF   EMBOSSED   BOOKS, 

Printed  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE    OF    BOOK. 


Howe's  Geogra2:)hy 
Howe's  Atlas  of  the  Islands  ^ 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  First  Booki 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Second  Book 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Third  Book  ' 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Fourth  Book 
Second  Table  of  Logai'ithms 
Astronomical  Dictionary     . 
Rudiments  of  Natural  Philosophy  ^ 
Philosophy  of  Natural  History    . 
Guyot's  Geography 
Howe's  Cycloptedia     . 
Natural  Theology 
Combe's  Constitution  of  Man     . 
Pope's  Essay  on  Man  ^ 
Baxter's  Call       .... 

Book  of  Proverbs 

Book  of  Psalms  .... 

New  Testament  (small) 
Book  of  Common  Prayer    . 
Hymns  for  the  Blind  ^ 
Pilgrim's  Progi'ess 
LiJ;e  of  Melanchthon  . 
Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop 
Shakspeare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Csesar 
Byron's  Hebrew^  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold 
Anderson's  History  of  United  States  . 
Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England 
Selections  from  the  Works  of  Swedenborg 
Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe 
Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology,  and  Hygiene 
Vii'i  Roma?,  new  edition  with  additions 
The    Header;    or,    Extracts   from   British    and 
Literature  ^      .....  . 

Musical  Characters  used  by  the  seeing,  with  ex 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost 

Higginson's  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United 
Histories  of  Greece  and  Rome  (in  press) 


American 


planations 
States 


50 
00 
25 
'25 
25 
25 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
50 
50 

00 
00 
00 

00 
35 
00 
50 


1  Stereotyped. 


1879.J 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


91 


LIST  OF  APPLIANCES  AND  TANGIBLE  APPARATUS, 

Made  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  JMassachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 

Geography. 
T.  —  Wall  Maps. 

1.  The  Henaispheres 

2.  United  States,  Mexico,  and  Canada    . 

3.  South  America   .......' 

4.  Europe ' 

5.  Asia   .........' 

6.  Africa ' 

7.  The  World  on  Mercator's  Projection  .         .     ' 

Each  $35,  or  the  set,  $245. 


size  42  by  52  inches. 


II.  —  Dissected  Maps. 


1.  Eastern  Hemisphere 

2.  Western  Hemisphere 
3  Noi'th  America  . 

4.  United  States     . 

5.  South  America  . 

6.  Europe 

7.  Asia  .         .         ;         . 

8.  Africa 


size  30  by  36  inches. 


Each  123,  or  the  set,  $184. 


These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability,  and  beauty,  far  superior  to  all  thus 
far  made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 

The  "New-England  Journal  of  Education"  says,  "They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any  school- 
room. ' ' 


III.  —  Pin-Maps. 
Cushions  for  pin-maps  and  diagrams 

Arithmetic. 

Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel-plated 
Ciphering- types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred 

Writing. 


each,  $0  75 


each,  $4  25 
1  00 


Grooved  writing-cards    .         .         .         . 
Braille's  tablets,  with  metallic  bed 
Braille's  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille's  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille's  Daisy  tablets    .         .         .         , 


each,  |0  10 

1  50 

1  00 

"        1  00 

3  75 


92  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


TERMS    OF   ADMISSION. 


Young  blind  persons  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  nine- 
teen, and  of  good  moral  character,  can  be  admitted  to  the 
school  by  paying  $300  per  annum.  This  sum  covers  all 
expenses,  except  for  clothing ;  namely,  board,  washing,  the 
use  of  books,  musical  instruments,  &c.  The  pupils  must 
furnish  their  own  clothing,  and  pay  their  own  fares  to  and 
from  the  Institution.  The  friends  of  the  pupils  can  visit 
them  whenever  they  choose. 

Indigent  blind  persons  of  suitable  age  and  character,  be- 
longing to  Massachusetts,  can  be  admitted  gratuitously,  by 
application  to  the  Governor  for  a  warrant. 

The  following  is  a  good  form,  though  any  other  will  do :  — 

"  To  his  Excellency  the  Governor. 

"Sir,  —  My  son  (or  daughter,  or  nephew,  or  niece,  as  the  case  may 

be)  named  ,  and  aged  ,  cannot  be  instructed  in   the   common 

schools,  for  want  of  sight.  I  am  unable  to  pay  for  the  tuition  at  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  and  I  re- 
quest that  your  Excellency  will  give  a  warrant  for  free  admission.    . 

"  Very  respectfully, ." 

The  application  may  be  made  by  any  relation  or  friend,  if 
the  parents  are  dead  or  absent. 

It  should  be  accompanied  by  a  certificate  from  one  or 
more  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  or  aldermen  of  the  city, 
in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  hereby  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion,  Mr. is  not  a  wealthy 

person,  and  that  he  cannot  afford  to  pay  S300  per  annum  for  his  child's 
instruction.  (Signed) ." 

There  should  be  a  certificate,  signed  by  some  regular  phy- 
sician, in  this  form  :  — 

"I  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion, has  not  suflBcient  vision  to 

be  taught  in  common  schools  ;  and  that  he  is  free  from  epilepsy,  and 
from  any  contagious  disease.  (Signed) ." 


1879.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  93 

These  papers  should  be  done  up  together,  and  forwarded 
to  the  Director  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston^  Mass. 

An  obligation  will  be  required  from  some  responsible  per- 
sons, that  the  pupil  shall  be  kept  properly  supplied  with 
decent  clothing,  shall  be  provided  for  during  vacations,  and 
shall  be  removed,  without  expense  to  the  Institution,  when- 
ever it  may  be  desirable  to  discharge  him. 

The  usual  period  of  tuition  is  from  five  to  seven  years. 
Indigent  blind  persons  residing  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island,  by  applying  as 
above  to  the  Governor,  or  the  "  Secretary  of  State,"  in  their 
respective  States,  can  obtain  warrants  for  free  admission. 

The  relatives  or  friends  of  the  blind  who  may  be  sent  to 
the  Institution  are  requested  to  furnish  information  in  an- 
swer to  the  following  questions  :  — 

1.  What  is  the  name  and  age  of  the  applicant? 

2.  Where  born  ? 

3.  Was  he  born  blind  ?      If  not,  at  what  age  was  his  sight  impaired? 

4.  Is  the  blindness  total,  or  partial? 

5.  What  is  the  supposed  cause  of  the  blindness? 

6.  Has  he  ever  been  subject  to  fits?  • 

7.  Is  he  now  in  good  health,  and  free  from  eruptions  and  contagious 
diseases  of  the  skin? 

8.  Has  he  ever  been  to  school  ?     If  yes,  where  ? 

9.  What  is  the  general  moral  character  of  the  applicant? 

10.  Of  what  country  was  the  father  of  the  applicant  a  native  ? 

11.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  and  health  of  the  father,  — 
was  he  vigorous  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary? 

12.  Was  the  father  of  the  applicant  ever  subject  to  fits  or  to  scrofula? 

13.  Were  all  his  senses  perfect? 

14.  Was  he  always  a  temperate  man? 

15.  About  how  old  was  he  when  the  applicant  was  born  ? 

16.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  the  family  of  the  father  of 
the  applicant  ;  that  is,  were  any  of  the  grandparents,  parents,  uncles, 
aunts,  brothers,  sisters,  or  cousins,  blind,  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted 
with  any  infirmity  of  body  or  mind? 

17.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  the  father  die,  and  of  what  disorder? 

18.  Where  was  the  mother  of  the  applicant  born? 

19.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  of  the  mother  of  the  appli- 
cant,—  strong  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary? 

20.  Was  she  ever  subject  to  scrofula,  or  to  fits? 

21.  Were  all  her  senses  perfect  ? 

22.  Was  she  always  a  temperate  woman? 

23.  About  how  old  was  she  when  the  applicant  was  born? 


•94  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.     [Oct. '79. 

24.  How  many  children  had  she  before  the  applicant  was  born? 

25.  Was  she  related  by  blood  to  her  hnsband?  If  so,  in  what  degree. 
—  first,  second,  or  third  coasius? 

26.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  she  die,  and  of  what  disorder? 

27.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  her  family  ;  that  is,  were  any 
of  her  grandparents,  parents,  uncles,  aunts,  sisters,  brothers,  children,  or 
cousins,  either  blind,  or  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted  with  any  infirmity  of 
body  or  mind  ? 

28.  What  are  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  parents  or  immediate  rela- 
tives of  the  applicant? 

29.  How  much  can  they  afford  to  pay  towards  the  support  and  educa- 
tion of  the  applicant? 

For  further  particulars  address  M.  Anagnos,  Director 
OF  THE  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston,  3fass. 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT.  No.  27. 


rOETY-NINTH  ANNUAL  EEPORT 


THE    TRUSTEES 


PERKINS    INSTITUTION 


assatljit^dts  ^rlj00l  kx  tlje  §Iinb, 


FOR   THE   TEAR  ENDIKG 


SEPTEMBER  30,  1880. 


BOSTON : 

Eanli,  a&et2,  ^  Co.,  printers  to  tfje  Commontoealtfi, 

117  Franklin  Street. 
1881. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


Page 

Communication  to  the  Secretary  of  State 4 

OflScers  of  tlie  Corporation 5 

Officers  of  the  Institution '  ....        6 

Members  of  the  Corporation 7 

Keport  of  the  Trustees 11 

The  Present  State  of  the  School,  p.  14.  —Finances,  p.  15.  — Mr.  Endicott's  Resignation, 
p.  17.  — Repairs  and  Improvements,  p.  18.  —  Printing  Department,  p.  20.  —New  Books 
and  Donations,  p.  22.  —  Improvements  in  the  Printing  Department,  p.  24. — "Worli  De- 
partment for  Adults,  p.  31.  —  Retrospective  View  of  the  "Work  of  the  School,  p.  33.  — 
General  Remarks,  p.  35. 

Extract  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Corporation,      37 

The  Keport  of  the  Director 38 

Numher  of  Inmates,  p.  40.  —  Numher  of  Graduates  and  their  General  Success,  p.  41. — 
Sanitary  Condition,  p.  41.  — Objects  and  Scope  of  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  p.  43. — 
The  Various  Departments  of  the  Institution,  p.  49.  —Literary  Department,  p.  50.  —  Ob- 
ject Teaching,  p.  57.  — Collection  of  Tangible  Objects,  p.  60.  —  Library,  p.  61.  —  Kinder- 
garten, p.  62.  — Music  Department,  p.  64.  —  Tuning  Department,  p.  70.  —  The  Piano- 
forte and  Piano-forte  Tuning,  p.  75.  —  Technical  Department,  p.  79.  —  Workshop  for 
the  Boj's,  p.  80. — Workrooms  for  the  Girls,  p.  81.  —  Manual  Occupations  of  the  Blind 
in  Ontario,  p.  82.  —  Department  of  Physical  Training,  p.  84.  —  Closing  Remarks, 
p.  88. 

Acknowledgments ■   ....      89 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer 93 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account,  p.  94.  —  Analysis  of  Treasurer's  Accounts, 
p.  98. 

General  Analysis  of  Steward's  Account 98 

Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30, 1880,  as  per  Steward's  Account, 
p.  99. 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Department 100 

Account  of  Stock  Oct.  1,  1880 101 

List  of  Embossed  Books 102 

List  of  Appliances  and  Tangible  Apparatus 103 

Terms  of  Admission 104 


€0mm0ntDeaItt)  of  illassacljueeto* 


Peekins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  fok  the  Blind, 
So.  Boston,  Oct.  19,  1880. 

To  the  Hon.  Henry  B.  Peirce,  Secretary  of  State. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you  for  the 
use  of  the  Legislature,  a  copy  of  the  Forty-ninth  Annual 
Report  of  the  Trustees  of  this  Institution  to  the  Corporation 
thereof,  together  with  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 
Respectfully, 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretary/. 


OFFICERS   OF   THE   CORPORATION. 

1880-81. 


SAMUEL   ELIOT,  President. 
JOHN   CUMMINGS,   Vice-President. 
P.    T.    JACKSON,   Treasurer. 
M.    ANAGNOS,  Secretary. 


BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 


EGBERT  E.  APTHORP. 
JOHN  S.  DWIGHT. 
JOSEPH  B.   GLOVER. 
J.   THEODORE   HEARD,  M.D. 
HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON. 
JAMES  H.  MEANS,  D.D. 


ANDREW  P.   PEABODY,  D.D. 
EDWARD   N.    PERKINS. 
SAMUEL  M.   QUINCY. 
SAMUEL  G.    SNELLING. 
JAMES  STURGIS. 
GEORGE  W.  WALES. 


STANDING     COMMITTEES. 
Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 

Whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Institution  at  least  once  in  each  month. 

1881.  July.     .     .  .  A.  P.  Peabody, 

Augiist.     .  .  E.  N.  Perkins. 

September  .  S.  M.  Quincy. 

October     .  .  S.  G.  Snellino. 

November  .  tlAMKS  Sturgis. 

December  .  Geo.  W.  Wales. 


1881.  January    .  .  R.  E.  Apthorp. 

February  .  .  J.  S.  Dwig^t. 

March  .    .  .  J.  B.  Glover. 

April    .    .  .  J.  T.  Heard. 

May  .    .     .  .  H.  L.  Higginson. 

June     .    .  .  J.  H.  Means. 


Committee  on  Education. 

J.   S.  DWIGHT. 

A.  P.  Peabody. 
S.  M.  Quincy. 


Committee  of  Finance. 
R.  E.  Apthorp. 
J.  B.  Glover. 
James  Sturgis. 


House  Committee. 
E.  N.  Perkins. 
G.  W.  Wales. 
J.  H.  Means. 


Committee  on  Health. 
J.  Theodore  Heard. 
E.  N.  Perkins. 
H.  L.  Higginson. 


Auditors  of  Accounts. 
Robert  E.  Apthorp. 
Samuel  G.  Snelling. 


OFFICEES   OF  THE   INSTITUTION. 


DIRECTOR. 

M.  ANAGNOS. 


MEDICAL  INSPECTOR. 
JOHN    ROMANS,    M.D. 


LITERARY  DEPARTMENT. 


Miss  M.  L.  P.  Shattuck. 
Miss  J.  R.  GiLiviAN. 
Miss  Julia  Boylan. 
Miss  E.  S.  Adams. 


Miss  Della  Bennett. 
Miss  S.  L.  Bennett. 
Miss  Mary  C.  Moore. 
Miss  S.  E.  Lane,  Librarian. 


MUSICAL  DEPARTMENT. 


Resident  Teachers. 
Thomas  Reeves. 
Frank  H.  Kilbotjrne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Lizzie  IIiley. 
Miss  Lucy  Hammond. 
Miss  M.  L.  Drowne. 
Henry  W.  Stratton,  Assistant. 


Non-Resident  Teachers. 
Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 
Henry  C.  Brown. 

C.  H.  HiGGINS. 

Music  Readers. 

Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  Mary  A.  Proctor. 


TUNING  DEPARTMENT. 
J.  W.  Smith,  Instructor  and  Manager. 


INDUSTRIAL  DEPARTMENT. 


"Workshops  for  Juveniles. 
J.  H.  "Wright,  Work  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.Dillingham,  Work  Mistress. 
Thomas  Carroll,  Assistant. 
Miss  H.  Kellier,  Assistant. 


"Workshop  for  Adults. 
A.  "W".  Bowden,  Manager. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  DwELLY,  Forewoman. 
Miss  M.  M.  Stone,  Clerk. 


DOMESTIC   DEPARTMENT. 


Steward. 

A.  W.  BOAVDEN. 

Matron. 
Miss  M.  C.  MouLTON. 
Miss  E.  "Ware,  Assistant. 


Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Knowlton. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham. 
Miss  Bessie  "Wood. 
Miss  Lizzie  N.  Smith. 


PRINTING  DEPARTMENT. 
Dennis  A.  Reardon,  Manager. 


Miss  E.  B.  "Webster,  Book-keeper. 


MEMBERS  or  THE  COEPOEATION. 


All  persons  who  have  contributed  twenty-five  dollars  to 
the  funds  of  the  institution,  all  who  have  served  as  trustees 
or  treasurer,  and  all  who  have  been  elected  by  special  vote, 
are  members. 


Aldricli,  Mrs.  Aaron,  Boston. 
Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  Boston. 
Amory,  James  S.,  Boston. 
Amory,  William,  Boston. 
Anagnos,  M.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  T.  G.,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  Robert  E.,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  William  F.,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  William,  Boston. 
Austin,  Edward,  Boston. 
Baldwin,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Barrows,  Rev.  S.  J.,  Dorchester. 
Beard,  Hon.  Alanson  W.,  Boston. 
Bigelow,  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Blake,  G.  Baty,  Boston. 
Bouve,  Thomas  T.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Brewster,  Osmyn,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Hon.  Martin,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Francis,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Rev.  Phillips,  Boston. 
Browne,  A.  Parker,  Boston. 
BuUard,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  P.  W.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  Theophilus  P.,  Brookline. 
Childs,  Alfred  A.,  Boston. 
Claflin,  Hon.  William,  Boston. 
Clapp,  William  W.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Dr.  A.,  Boston. 
Crosby,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 


Cummings,  Hon.  John,  Woburn. 
Dalton,  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Davis,  James,  Boston. 
Dix,  J.  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Downer,  Samuel,  Dorchester. 
Dwight,  John  S.,  Boston. 
Eliot,  Dr.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Emerson,  George  B.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Francis  F.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Emmons,  Mrs.  Nath'l  H.,  Boston. 
Endicott,  Henry,  Boston. 
Endicott,  William,  jun.,  Boston. 
Fisk,  Rev.  Photius,  Boston. 
Folsom,  Charles  F.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Forbes,  J.  M.,  Milton. 
Freeman,  Miss  Hattie  E.,  Boston. 
Galloupe,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  Charles  P.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George  A.,  Boston. 
Glover,  J.  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Benjamin,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  Delano  A.,  Boston. 
Gray,  Mrs.  Horace,  Boston. 
Gray,  John  C,  Boston. 
Greenleaf,  R.  C,  Boston. 
Hale,  Rev.  Edward  E. ,  Boston. 
Hale,  George  S.,   Boston. 
Hardy,  Alpheus,  Brookline. 
Haskell,  Edwin  B.,  Auburndale. 
Heard,  J.  T.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Higginson,  George,  Boston. 
Higginson,  Henry  Lee,  Boston. 


8 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Hill,  Hon.  Hamilton  A.,  Boston. 
Hilton,  William,  Boston. 
Hogg,  John,  Boston. 
Hooper,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Hooper,  R.  "W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hovey,  WUliam  A.,  Brookline. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward,  Boston. 
Houghton,  Hon.  H.  O.,  Cambridge. 
Hunnewell,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Hyatt,  Alpheus,  Cambridge. 
Jackson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  Boston. 
»       Jackson,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 

Jarvis,  Edward,  M.D.,  Dorchester. 
Jones,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Kendall,  C.  S.,  Boston. 
Kennard,  Martin  P.,  Brookline. 
Kidder,  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Kinsley,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Lang,  B.  J.,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  Longwood. 
Lincoln,  L.  J.  B.,  Hingham. 
Lodge,  Mrs.  J.  E.,  Boston. 
Lord,  Melvin,  Boston. 
Lothrop,  John,  Auburndale. 
Lovett,  George  L.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Lowell,  John  A.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Mack,  Thomas,  Boston. 
May,  Miss  Abby,  Boston. 
May,  F.  W.  G.,  Dorchester. 
Means,  Rev.  J.  H.,  D.D.,  Dorchester. 
Merriam,  Mrs.  Caroline,  Boston. 
Minot,  William,  Boston. 
Montgomery,  Hugh,  Boston. 
Morton,  Edwin,  Boston. 
Motley,  Edward,  Boston. 
Mudge,  Hon.  E.  R.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  George,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Nickerson,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Noyes,  Hon.  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Osborn,  John  T.,  Boston. 
Paine',  Mrs.  Julia  B.,  Boston. 
■  Parker,  H.  D.,  Boston. 
Parkman,  Francis,  Boston. 
Parkman,  George  F.,  Boston. 
Parkman,  Rev.  John,  Boston. 
Parsons,  Thomas,  Chelsea. 


Payson,  S.  R.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  Rev.  A.  P.,  D.D.,  Camb'ge. 
Peabody,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Edward  N.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Perkins,  William,  Boston. 
Peters,  Edward  D.,  Boston. 
Pickman,  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pierce,  Hon.  H.  L.,  Boston. 
Phillips,  John  C,  Boston. 
Pratt,  Elliott  W.,  Boston. 
Preston,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
Quincy,  Hon.  Josiah,  Wollaston. 
Quincy,  Samuel  M.,  Wollaston. 
Rice,  Hon.  A.  H.,  Boston. 
Robeson,  W.  R.,  Boston. 
Robinson,  Henry,  Reading. 
Rogers,  Henry  B.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Jacob  C,  Boston. 
Ropes,  J.  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Rotch,  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Russell,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
SaltonstaU,  H.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  Newton. 
Sanborn,  Frank  B.,  Concord. 
Schlesinger,  Sebastian,  Boston. 
Sears,  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Sherwood,  W.  H.,  Boston. 
Shimmin,  C.  F.,  Boston. 
Shippen,  Rev.  Rush  R.,  Jamaica  PI. 
Slack,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Snelling,  Samuel  G.,  Boston. 
Stone,  Joseph  L.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  Francis  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Sturgis,  James,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Taggard,  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  Mrs.  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Thaxter,  Joseph  B.,  Hingham. 
Thayer,  Rev.  George  A.,  Boston. 
Thayer,  Nathaniel,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  S.  Lothrop,  Cambridge. 
Tucker,  Alanson,  Boston. 
Tucker,  W.  W.,  Boston. 
Upton,  George  B.,  Boston. 
Wales,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Wales,  Miss  Mary  Ann,  Boston. 
Wales,  Thomas  B.,  Boston. 
Ware,  Charles  E.,  M.D.,  Boston. 


1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


Washburn,  Hon.  J.  D.,  Worcester. 
Weld,  W.  G.,  Boston. 
Wheelwright,  John  W.,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Edw.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Wiggles  worth.  Miss  Mary,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Wilder,  Hon.  Marshall  P.,  Dorch. 
Winslow,  Mrs.  George,  Roxbuiy. 
2 


Winsor,  J.  B.,  Providence,  R.  I. 
Winthrop,  Hon.  Robert  C,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Woods,  Henry,  Paris,  France. 
Worthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 
Young,  Charles  L. ,  Boston. 


OIommDnrocaltl)  of  illassacljusctts. 


EEPORT  OF  THE  TRUSTEES. 


Pekkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Sept.  30,  1880. 

To  the  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen,  —  In  accordance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  by-laws  of  the  institution,  we,  the  undersigned  trus- 
tees, present  to  you,  and  through  you  to  the  executive 
of  the  commonwealth  and  to  the  legislature,  the 
following  report  for  the  year  ending  Sept.  30, 
1880:  — 

We  are  very  desirous  that  the  general  state  of  the 
estabhshment  should  be  known,  and  that  every  suitable 
means  should  be  employed  to  keep  the  mind  of  the  pub- 
lic enhghtened  and  the  sympathies  of  our  fellow-citizens 
awake  with  regard  to  the  blind  wherever  they  may  be 
found. 

The  publication  of  our  annual  report  is  one  of  the 
means  for  promoting  this  end,  and  the  fact  that  those 
whom  we  thus  address  represent  to  a  very  great  extent 
the  enhghtment  and  the  benevolence  of  the  community 


12      .    •     INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

at  large  emboldens  us  to  come  forward  year  after  year 
and  ask  attention  for  our  affairs. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  past  twelve  months, 
we  may  say  at  the  outset  that  the  general  condition  of 
the  institution  has  been  entirely  satisfactory  to  the 
board,  and  that  nothing  has  occurred  to  mar  its  ad- 
vancement. 

The  kind  interest  which  the  wise,  the  intelligent,  and 
the  benevolent  of  the  community  have  continued  to 
take  in  the  welfare  of  the  blind,  has  been  a  source  of 
great  encouragement  to  us. 

The  quarterly  reports  of  the  director  made  to  our 
board  have  set  forth  in  detail  the  statistics  of  entrances 
and  discharges.  The  substance  of  these  communica- 
tions is,  that  there  have  been  179  blind  persons  immedi- 
ately connected  with  the  institution,  in  aU  its  depart- 
ments, as  pupils,  instructors,  employes,  and  work  men 
or  women.     Present  number,  156. 

The  health  of  the  household  has  been  remarkably 
good.  No  death  and  no  case  of  serious  illness  has 
occurred  during  the  year. 

The  sanitary  arrangements  of  the  establishment  are 
m  excellent  condition,  and  the  medical  supervision  of 
our  physician.  Dr.  Homans,  has  been  regular  and  thor- 
ough. 

The  trustees  can  speak  in  terms  of  approbation  of 
the  uniform  cleanliness  of  the  buildings,  of  the  personal 
neatness  of  the  pupils,  and  the  quiet  and  order  which 
have  pervaded  the  school. 

The  teachers  and  officers  have  performed  their  part 
zealously,  and  have  worked  faithfully  to  further  the 
welfare  of  those  committed  to  their  care. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  13 

The  pupils  in  general  merit  commendation  for  their 
good  behavior  and  obedience  to  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions established  for  their  government. 

We  have  endeavored  to  adminster  the  affairs  of  the 
institution  in  such  a  manner  as  to  attain  the  best  results 
which  the  means  at  our  disposal  could  effect ;  and, 
although  we  claim  no  infallibility,  we  cannot  but  be 
thankful  for  the  degree  of  prosperity  which  has  at- 
tended our  efforts. 

The  institution  is  well  appointed  in  all  its  depart- 
ments, and  its  work  is  carried  on  with  good  results.  We 
have  aimed  to  improve  those  systematic  arrangements 
which  have  heretofore  proved  satisfactory,  to  carry  for- 
ward the  original  plan  of  the  institution,  to  enlarge  the 
sphere  of  its  usefulness,  to  incorporate  in  its  workings 
the  fruits  of  enlightened  experience  and  the  results  of 
the  best  thought  given  to  this  branch  of  education,  and 
to  perpetuate  the  spirit  of  beneficence  towards  those  for 
whose  good  the  school  was  founded.  But,  although  we 
have  continued  to  press  on  in  the  way  of  progress,  we 
do  not  allow  ourselves  to  think  that  our  system  of 
instruction  and  training  is  complete  in  its  details  and 
perfect  in  its  appointments.  On  the  contrary,  we  are 
aware  of  its  shortcomings,  and  are  ever  ready  to  wel- 
come all  rational  improvements,  and  make  such 
changes  as  shall  promise  after  thorough  examination 
better  results  than  we  have  vet  attained. 

Such  is  in  brief  the  record  of  the  year  now  closed. 
While  we  look  back  upon  what  has  been  accomplished 
during  the  past  twelve  months  with  gratitude,  we  re- 
gard the  present  with  proper  satisfaction,  and  the  future 
with  encouragement  and  hope. 


14  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  Present  State  of  the  School. 

The  main  object  of  the  institution  —  which  is  to  give 
to  blind  youth  of  both  sexes  the  same  kind  and  degree 
of  instruction  as  is  afforded  to  other  children  in  the  best 
common  schools  of  New  England,  and  to  train  them  up 
to  industry  and  professional  attainments  —  has  been 
steadily  and  successfully  pursued,  and  has  been  followed 
by  good  results.  The  means  and  methods  employed  to 
promote  this  end  have  been  improved  and  perfected 
from  year  to  year,  and  our  course  of  education  embraces 
all  branches  which  are  necessary  to  fit  pupils  for  a  life 
of  enlightened  activity  and  usefulness. 

The  modes  of  instruction  followed  in  the  various 
departments  of  the  institution  are  of  the  most  approved 
character,  and  its  graduates  will  bear  comparison  in 
point  of  intellectual  attainments  with  those  of  any  well- 
organized  academy.  Those  who  attended  the  graduat- 
ing exercises  of  our  school,  or  who  have  become  other- 
wise familiar  with  its  workings  and  with  the  present 
condition  of  its  departments,  will  bear  testimony  to  this 
fact. 

These  exercises  were  held  at  the  close  of  the  term  in 
the  music  hall  of  the  institution,  and  were  witnessed  by 
a  large  number  of  distinguished  citizens.  The  State  of 
Rhode  Island  was  represented  by  Gov.  Littlefield  and 
Secretary  Addeman,  and  the  Massa^chusetts  Board  of 
Education  by  its  secretary,  Mr.  Dickinson,  and  one  of 
its  members,  Mr.  Hussey.  Many  clergymen  and  sev- 
eral prominent  musicians  were  also  present. 

Diplomas  were  for  the  fii'st  time  awarded  to  the 
members  pf  the  graduating  class,  six  in  number,  and 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  15 

their  award  could  not  fail  to  be  a  very  gratifying 
ceremony  to  all  witnesses  who  had  even  the  faintest 
feeling  of  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  recipients.  The  giving  of  these  simple  rolls  told 
of  a  past  of  diligent  application  and  meritorious  en- 
deavor, and  prophesied  a  future  of  happy  usefulness 
and  well-earned  reward.  No  pupil  could  receive  one 
of  these  testimonials  who  had  not  gone  through  the 
regular  school  course  and  attained  a  certain  degree 
of  excellence  by  faithful  and  thorough  work  at  his 
lessons  and  in  his  calling.  Besides  bemg  valuable 
as  a  record  of  past  exertions  and  distinction  in  the 
school,  the  diploma  is  also  of  importance  to  the  de- 
serving and  active  graduate  as  a  promise  of  a  pros- 
perous future.  The  diplomas  were  given  out  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Peabody  of  our  board,  accompanied  by  a 
few  well-chosen  remarks,  and  were  received  by  the 
young  people  with  very  evident  emotion,  in  which 
the  audience  keenly  sympathized. 

Finances. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson, 
accompanied  by  a  detailed  statement  of  his  cash  ac- 
count, is  herewith  submitted,  and  shows  the  finances 
of  the  institution  to  have  been  wisely  and  judiciously 
administered. 

The  amount  of  money  received  from  all  sources 
during  the  past  year,  as  well  as  that  of  the  disburse- 
ments made  for  all  purposes,  may  be  briefly  set  forth 
as  follows ;  ^ 


16  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Cash  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1879     .         .       $579  21 
Total  receipts  during  the  j-ear  .    94,139  58 


894,718  79 
Total  expenditures 92,491  36 

Cash  balance  in  the  treasury  ....     $2,227  48 

This  result  has  been  obtained  only  by  the  exer- 
cise in  every  department  of  the  most  rigid  economy 
consistent  with  the  proper  administration  of  the  af- 
fairs .  of  the  institution,  and  with  the  efficient  training 
of  the  pupils,  and  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  the 
household. 

To  aid  in  a  more  complete  and  minute  exami- 
nation of  the  financial  concerns  of  the  establish- 
ment, the  report  of  the  treasurer  is  accompanied  by 
an  analysis  of  the  steward's  accounts,  which  gives 
specific  information  in  regard  to  the  prmcipal  articles 
consumed,  tLeu'  quantity,  and  the  aggregate  price  paid 
for  each. 

The  director  makes  provision  for  all  the  wants  of 
the  institution,  and  is  responsible  for  the  prudent  and 
judicious  expenditure  of  its  funds ;  but  his  accounts 
are  scrutinized  and  audited  monthly  by  a  committee 
especially  appointed  by  our  board  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  treasurer  pays  no  money  except  upon  their 
order. 

It  is  our  pleasant  duty  to  aUude  in  this  connection 
to  the  continued  zeal,  care,  and  fidelity,  with  which 
the  auditors,  Messrs.  E.  E.  Apthorp  and  S.  G.  Snel- 
ling,  have  discharged  their  duty.  They  have  certified 
that  the  accounts  have  been  properly  and  correctly 
kept,  and  that  all  items  of  expense  have  been  au- 
thenticatefj  by  vouchers. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  17 

The  books  are  open  to  your  scrutiny,  and  we  ear- 
nestly invite  you  to  satisfy  yourselves,  by  actual  ex- 
amination, that  the  funds  of  the  institution  have  been 
applied  with  sound  judgment  and  unwavering  integ- 
rity. 

Mr.  Endicott's  Resignation. 

The  trustees  cannot  close  this  part  of  their  report 
without  expressing  their  deep  regret  at  the  necessity 
which  has  compelled  Mr.  Henry  Endicott  to  resign 
the  office  of  treasurer.  For  twelve  years  his  name 
and  that  of  his  elder  brother,  Mr.  William  Endicott, 
jun.,  have  stood  forth  prominently  among  the  kindest 
and  most  disinterested  friends  of  the  blind.  Their 
efforts  for  the  prosperity  of  the  establishment  were 
unremitting,  and  their  generosity  unceasing.  An  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  their  benevolence  and  their  de- 
votion to  the  welfare  of  the  school  enables  us  to 
concur  heartily  in  the  well-chosen  expressions  of  the 
following  vote,  which  was  unanimously  passed  by  you 
at  a  special  meeting  held  for  the  purpose  of  acting 
upon  the  treasurer's  resignation :  — 

"•  Voted.,  that  the  warm  thanks  of  the  corporation  be  hereby 
tendered  to  Mr.  Henry  Endicott  for  the  ability,  disinterested- 
ness, and  courtesy,  with  which  he  has  discharged  his  duties,  and 
for  his  efficient  and  faithful  services,  which  merit  the  highest 
praise  and  the  expression  of  the  deepest  obligation  from  all 
friends  of  the  institution." 

To  the  present  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson,  and  to 
his  brother,  Mr.  Edward  Jackson,  who  succeeded  Mr. 
Endicott,  but  who  was  obliged,  after  a  brief  period  of 
service,  to  tender  his  resignation  in  order  to  go  abroad, 


18  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

we  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  diligence  and  prompt- 
ness with  which  they  have  performed  their  duties. 

Repairs  and  Improvements. 

The  work  of  repaks  and  improvements  inaugurated 
several  years  since,  and  carried  on  with  more  or  less 
rapidity,  is  still  far  from  complete.  Yet  an  important 
step  towards  this  end  has  been  made  during  the  summer 
vacation,  in  addition  to  the  renovations  effected  in  sev- 
eral parts  of  the  establishment. 

The  erection  of  a  new  building  in  the  girls'  department 
is  the  most  prominent  improvement    made  during  the 
year.     This  edifice  is  forty-nine  feet  long  and  twenty- 
five  feet  wide,  and  consists  of  four  stories  with  a  good 
basement,  the  windows    of  which    are    above    ground. 
The  first  and  second  flights,  together  with  the  basement, 
when  entirely  finished,   will  furnish    ample    space    for 
school,  music,  sewing,  and   knitting  rooms,  while    the 
whole  of  the  third  story  will  be  occupied  by  a  library, 
which  will  be  provided  with  cases  for  books,  minerals, 
specimens   of  natural  history,  models,  and  educational 
appliances  of  various  kinds.     This  building  is  connected 
with   the    girls'    schoolhouse    by    a   covered  but  well- 
lighted  bridge,  and  with  the  cottages  by  an  underground 
passage.     It  has  been  carefully  planned  in  all  its  details 
by  the  skilful  manager  of  our  printing-office,  Mr.  Den- 
nis A.  Reardon,  —  of  whose  ingenuity  we  had  occasion 
to.  speak  in  our  last  annual  report,  —  and  it  is  admirably 
adapted  for  our  purpose. 

An  underground  arch  has  been  built  between  the  cot- 
tages, through  which  the  steam-pipes  are  carried  from 
one  block  of  houses  to  the  other  under  such  protection 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  19 

as  to  prevent  even  the  smallest  waste  of  heat  in  the 
future.  This  tunnel  is  high  enough  to  form  a  conven- 
ient underground  passage. 

In  the  main  building  the  work  of  renovation,  to  which 
an  impetus  was  given  some  time  ago,  has  been  carried 
some  steps  forward  during  the  past  year.  One  of  the 
dining-rooms,  the  small  boys'  sitting-room,  and  three  of 
the  schoolrooms  have  been  thoroughly  repaired  and  put 
in  good  order.  The  walls  and  ceilings  have  been 
painted,  the  old  pine  sheathing  has  been  replaced  in 
hard-wood,  the  heating  apparatus  improved,  the  venti- 
lation increased,  and  various  conveniences  for  keeping 
things  in  their  proper  places  have  been  provided  wher- 
ever needed. 

Several  other  alterations  and  improvements  of  a 
minor  character,  supplying  urgent  wants  and  calculated 
to  preserve  the  buildings  and  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
the  household,  have  been  made  during  the  past  year ; 
but  the  limited  means  placed  at  our  disposition  have 
compelled  us  to  restrict  our  operations  in  this  direction 
to  a  small  area.  The  necessity  for  continuing  the  pro- 
cess of  renovation  in  the  interior  of  the  main  building 
as  rapidly  as  may  be  is  evidently  pressing ;  for  the 
effects  of  time  and  rough  usage  are  very  obvious,  not 
only  in  the  corridors  and  the  most  frequented  rooms, 
but  everywhere.  Both  safety  and  economy  demand 
that  the  loose  plastering,  the  rotten  wood-work,  the 
worn  floors,  the  decayed  window-frames,  the  soiled  wall- 
paper, the  shaky  sashes,  and  the  impaired  painting 
should  be  replaced,  or  repau'ed  and  made  sound,  and 
the  sooner  this  is  done,  the  better.  It  is  our  intention 
to  push  on  the  work  of  reconstruction  as  fast   as  we 


20  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

can ;  but,  as  our  means  are  not  sufficient  to  meet  the 
ever  increasing  wants  of  the  establishment,  we  must 
depend  upon  the  friends  of  the  blind  for  assistance. 

Printing  Department. 

The  great  book  of  nature,  with  its  myriad  pages  of 
beauty,  its  endless  variety  of  scenery,  and  its  ever-chan- 
ging aspects  of  sea  and  sky,  is  constantly  open  to  the  see- 
ing.    The  achievements  of  art  can  be  enjoyed  by  them 
at  all  times  and  seasons,  and  literature  gives  them  daily 
something  new  and  fair  to  feast  upon.     How  different 
is  the  lot  of  the  blind,  and  how  few  are  the  privileges  of 
this  sort  which  they  enjoy !     Yet  even  for  these  chil- 
dren of  misfortune  a  brighter  day  is  dawning,  and  liter- 
ature, which  is,  next  to   music,   theii'  greatest  solace, 
holds  out  to  them  its  consolations  and  its  joys.     Music 
has  indeed  usually  been   considered   to    be   the    great 
dehght  and  specialty  of  the  blind ;  but  it  is  the  belief 
of  those  who  are  familiar  with  their  tastes,  that,  besides 
their  world-wide  acknowledged  devotion  to  and  appre- 
ciation of  this  art,  they  are  likcAvise  among  the  most 
ardent  worshippers   at  the  shiine  of  hterature.     Enter 
a  room  where  some  seeing  person  is  reading  aloud  to 
the  blind,  and  note  the  intense  mterest  with  which  the 
older  members  of  the  group  hang  on  the  lips  of  the 
reader,  how  they  drink  in  his   every    word!     This    is 
their   compensation   for  all  the  beautiful  things  which 
others  enjoy  and  from  which  they  are  cut  off.     A  see- 
ing person  may  well  imbibe    the  love  of  study,    if  he 
have  it  not  by  nature,  from  intercourse  with  the  blind. 
It  often  happens   that  the  seeing  youth  glances  about 
the  room  while  an  important  work  is  being  read.     He 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  21 

grows  restless,  thinks  he  can  pernse  it  as  well  himself 
at  another  time  (which  often  never  comes),  jerks  his 
chair,  looks  out  of  the  window,  and  finally  asks  to  be 
excused.  His  blind  friend  sits  in  an  attitude  of  intense 
enjoyment  and  appreciation,  draws  a  long  breath  when 
the  reading  is  over,  as  if  it  had  been  almost  too  good, 
treasures  up  all  the  historic  facts  or  philosophic  truths 
in  the  storehouse  of  his  memory,  and  leaves  the  room 
enlightened  and  enriched.  Those  golden  hours  are 
treasures  which  he  never  forgets  to  count  over  with 
pride  and  pleasure.  The  mention  of  the  title  of  each 
well-prized  book  brings  a  smile  to  his  face.  He  has 
"  lived  through  "  literature,  not  dreamed  over  it. 

How  more  than  happy,  then,  is  he,  when  it  offers 
itself  to  the  tips  of  his  own  fingers,  when  he  need 
look  to  no  seeing  person  to  step  in  as  an  interpreter 
between  his  author  and  himself!  This  is  the  Avork  to 
which  the  most  earnest  energies  of  the  friends  of  the 
blind  should  now  be  directed ;  namely,  the  foundation  of 
a  choice  library  of  embossed  books  for  then-  personal 
use.  The  noble  thoughts  of  great  minds  were  never 
meant  to  be  shut  off  from  those  who. are  bereft  of  sight. 
Nay,  how  gratifying  must  it  be  to  an  author  to  see  that 
his  works  have  been  laid  open  for  then-  use !  It  is  as  if 
they  had  been  translated  into  another  language,  so 
difficult  is  the  process  which  has  to  be  gone  through 
before  the  "  open  sesame "  can  be  pronounced.  But 
the  results  thus  far  attained  amply  counterbalance  the 
obstacles  which  have  been  encountered,  and  bid  us  to 
carry  forward  the  enterprise  of  embossing  books  and 
constructing  tangible  apparatus,  which  was  commenced 
in  Boston  forty-nine  years  ago. 


22  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

This  beneficent  undertaking  was  the  ofi'spiing  of 
pure  benevolence.  It  was  adopted  and  improved  by 
the  fertile  mind  of  Dr.  Howe,  cherished  in  its  infancy 
by  his  warm  enthusiasm  and  indomitable  energy,  and 
brought  to  maturity  by  the  liberal  contributions  of 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of  our  com- 
munity. Works  of  various  kinds  have  been  published 
either  by  subscription  or  at  the  expense  of  generous 
and  noble  individuals ;  but  these,  compared  with  the 
riches  of  the  realm  of  literature  enjoyed  by  those  who 
are  blessed  with  sight,  are  but  as  a  few  crumbs,  insuffi- 
cient to  satisfy  the  intellectual  hunger  of  the  blind. 
More  are  absolutely  needed. 

New  Books  and  Donations. 

During  the  past  year  the  work  of  our  printing-oifice 
has  been  carried  on  vigorously,  and  several  new 
volumes  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  our  publications. 

We  have  reprinted  from  our  own  fund  those  admira- 
ble books  for  children,  which  the  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  and  our  oAvn  president.  Dr.  Eliot,  and  Mr. 
Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  have  given  to  the  juvenile  world ; 
namely,  "  Six  Stories  from  the  Arabian  Nights "  and 
"  Twelve  Popular  Tales."  The  munificence  of  one  of 
the  kindest  friends  and  noblest  benefactors  of  the  blind, 
at  whose  expense  Higginson's  "  Young  Folks'  History 
of  the  United  States "  was  embossed  and  electrotyped 
last  year,  and  whose  modesty  withholds  his  name  from 
the  public  ken,  has  enabled  us  to  prosecute  the 
publication  of  the  manuals  of  ancient  and  mediaeval 
history  without  interruption.  The  Rev.  Photius  F'isk 
of  tne  United-States  Navy,  a  native  of  Greece  and  well 


.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  23 

known  for  various  philanthropic  deeds,  has  made  a 
generous  donation  for  embossing  the  history  of  his 
fatherland,  which  was  accompanied  by  the  following 
correspondence :  — 

Boston,  Feb.  24,  1880. 

Friend  Anagnos, — I   send    you    herewith    the    sum    of    five 

hundred  dollars  in  gold  to  be  used  by  the  Perkins  Institution  and 

Massachusetts   School   for  the   Blind   in   the  publication  of    an 

edition  of  the  history  of  Greece,   which  I  understand  is  much 

needed.     Hoping  that  such  publication  will  be  of  great  service  to 

all  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  deprived  of  the  inestimable 

gift  of  sight,  I  am,  ver}'  truh',  &c., 

PHOTIUS  FISK, 

U.  S.  Navy. 

South  Bostok,  Feb.  25,  1880. 

My  dear  Mr.  Fisk,  —  I  know  not  how  to  thank  you  for  this 
renewed  proof  of  your  goodness  toward  our  school.  Your 
munificent  present  was  duly  received,  and,  I  assure  you,  it  moved 
me  deeply.  Of  all  the  monuments  which  you  have  been  erecting, 
and  the  generous  acts  which  3'ou  are  incessantly  performing,  this 
is  undoubtedly  the  most  enduring  and  most  beneficent ;  for  it  adds 
oil  to  the  lamp  which  lightens  the  intellectual  horizon  of  a  large 
class  of  our  fellow-men,  and  serves  as  a  beacon  to  lead  them  to 
the  shore  of  knowledge,  independence,  and  happiness.  There  is 
no  calculating  the  good  which  it  will  do  to  our  sightless  children. 
May  you,  my  dear  friend,  be  rewarded  for  3'our  noble  kindness 
and  generosity,  and  may  your  example  be  followed  by  those  who 
have  the  stewardship  of  riches. 

I  shall  have  the  greatest  pleasure  in  carrying  out  your  most 
benevolent  plan.  Your  name  will  stand  with  those  of  Peter  C. 
Brooks,  John  C.  Gray,  Samuel  May,  John  Preston,  Amos  A. 
Lawrence,  Charles  Dickens,  Thomas  Roche,  and  others  of  our 
most  prized  benefactors,  Avhose  generosity  has  aided  Dr.  Howe  in 
opening  the  realm  of  literature  to  the  blind. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  Mr.  Fisk,  with  the  kindest  regards  and 

heartfelt  thanks,  faithfully  yours, 

^  M.  ANAGNOS. 


24  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Another  kind  friend  of  the  bhnd,  Mrs.  Juha  B. 
Paine,  has  contributed  one  hundred  dollars  towards 
the  expense  of  the  juvenile  series ;  and  Mr.  Henry 
B.  Rogers,  whose  beneficent  acts  are  numerous  in  our 
community,  has  added  one  thousand  dollars  to  the 
permanent  fund  of  our  printing-office. 

Through  these  and  many  other  generous  gifts 
pre\dously  made,  new  paths  of  knowledge  and  happi- 
ness have  been  opened  to  the  blind.  Hundreds  of 
them  have  felt  in  their  solitude  and  darkness  how 
cheering  and  useful  is  intellectual  light.  But  what 
they  have  already  received  is  not  enough.  They  ask 
for  more.  Shall  their  call  be  heeded?  May  we  not 
hope  that  the  voice  of  the  same  benevolence  which 
has  inspired  the  hearts  of  so  many  noble  men  and 
women  with  a  desire  to  ameliorate  the  lot  of  those 
whose  night  endures  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave 
will  whisper  to  others  of  high  aim  and  purpose,  "  Go 
ye  and  do  likewise  "  ? 

'   Improvements  in  the  Printing  Department. 

Our  printing-office  has  recently  undergone  thorough 
renovation  in  every  direction,  and  its  working  capacities 
have  been  greatly  increased.  It  has  been  supplied 
with  new  machinery,  types,  cases,  appliances,  fixtures, 
and  conveniencies  of  the  most  approved  kind,  and  put 
in  an  excellent  condition  to  do  good  and  steady  service. 
Of  the  improvements  introduced  since  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  this  department,  the  two  most  important 
deserve  a  brief  mention  here :  — 

First.,  the  completion  of  the  "  Howe  Memorial 
Press"  and  its  work. 


1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


25 


Second,  the  contrivance  of  a  mode  of  electrotyping 
specially  adapted  for  our  purpose. 

J.  Hoive  Memorial  Press.  —  It  has  been  found  neces- 
sary to  make  some  alterations  and  improvements  in 
this  press  since  its  completion.  It  is  now  perfect  in 
every  particular,  and  the  following  cut  gives  a  correct 
idea  of  its  form  and  style :  — 


The  above  illustration  shows  clearly  that  the  press 
is  compact  in  form,  and  very  simple  in  construction. 
It  is  of  the  type  known  as  the  platen  press,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  cylinder  one.  Solidity  and 
strength  are  its  main  characteristics.  Although  it 
resembles  ordinary  machines  of  a  similar  pattern  in 
some  respects,  it  differs  from  them  very  essentially  in 
others.  The  bed  is  raised  and  lowered  vertically  by 
a  toggle  joint,  which  is  impelled  directly  by  a  connect- 
ing-rod two  and  one  half  inches  in  diameter,  and  not 


26  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

by  the  action  of  a  cam  and  gooseneck,  as  in  the  Adams 
Printing-Press.  The  complication  of  parts  in  the  old- 
style  platen  presses  has  been  entirely  avoided  in  ours, 
and,  by  some  very  ingenious  mechanical  devices  planned 
by  the  manager  of  our  printing-office,  Mr.  Dennis  A, 
Reardon,  and  designed  and  executed  by  the  manufac- 
turer, Mr.  Francis  Meisel,  valuable  improvements 
have  been  introduced.  The  masterly  arrangement  for 
automatic  feed  and  delivery  is  not  the  least  among 
these  improvements.  The  press  is  sound  in  mechanism, 
and  complete  in  all  its  appointments.  It  embosses 
eight  hundred  leaves  per  hour,  and  its  work  is  so 
superior  in  point  of  legibility,  height  of  relief,  and 
evenness  of  impression,  to  any  thus  far  produced,  that 
it  receives  the  cordial  approbation  and  unreserved 
connnendation  of  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  subject. 
The  venerable  and  esteemed  principal  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania institution  for  tlie  blind,  Mr.  William  Chapin,  — 
than  whom  there  is  no  better  judge  in  the  matter  of 
embossing  books,  —  having  examined  a  few  pages  of 
our  new  print,  writes  as  follows :  "  The  specimen 
sent  me  of  the  work  of  the  Howe  Memorial  Press  is 
certainly  as  near  perfection  as  any  relief  work  can  be. 
It  is  beautiful."  The  accomplished  principal  of  the 
Ontario  institution  for  the  blind,  Mr.  J.  Howard 
Hunter,  a  thorough  scholar  and  an  unbiassed  critic, 
states  the  results  of  his  observations  in  the  following 
words :  "  The  authors  selected  are  exceedingly  well 
chosen,  the  selections  manifestly  showing  a  thorough 
consideration  of  the  requirements  of  the  blind ;  and  as 
to  the  paper,  typography,  and  mechanical  execution, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  they  can  possibly  be  surpassed. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  27 

The  typography  is  extraordinarily  fine,  the  relief  being 
brought  up  to  a  very  unusual  fulness  and  height: 
the  words  fairly  leap  off  the  book."  Mr.  Morrison 
Heady,  the  deaf  and  blind  author  and  inventor,  and 
a  constant  reader  of  embossed  books  of  various  kinds, 
speaks  thus:  "Your  print  is  indeed  beautiful,  the 
relief  being  wonderfully  clear-cut,  uniform,  and  sus- 
tained ;  and  I  believe  that  the  letters  are  as  distinctly 
legible  to  the  touch  as  the  Roman  alphabet,  so  closely 
imitated,  is  capable  of  being  made."  The  superin- 
tendent of  the  Louisiana  institution  for  the  blind,  Mr. 
P.  Lane,  who  is  also  an  expert  in  raised  print,  writes 
as  follows :  "  The  typography  of  the  history  of  the 
celebrated  diamonds  is  excellent.  The  distinctness 
of  relief  and  firmness  of  surface  present  all  the  condi- 
tions of  easy  legibility.  .  .  .  The  print  is  as  nearly 
perfect  as  relief  print  can  be."  Mrs.  A.  D.  Lord  of 
the  New-York  State  institution,  who  has  for  many  years 
been  especially  successful  in  teaching  blind  persons  of 
all  ages  to  read,  says  that  one  of  her  pupils,  on  taking 
up  one  of  our  recent  publications,  remarked,  "  It  rests 
me  to  read  this  print  after  my  fingers  have  grown  tired 
with  other  books."  The  principal  of  the  Minnesota  in- 
stitution for  the  blind.  Professor  J.  J.  Dow,  —  under 
whose  able  management  the  young  school  is  doing  ex- 
cellent work,  and  is  rapidly  advancing  to  the  front  ranks 
among  establishments  of  this  kind,  —  writes  as  follows  : 
"  I  am  highly  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the 
books  ordered  of  you,  and  feel  constrained  to  say  that 
we  have  never  received  a  more  valuable  addition  to  our 
raised-print  library,  both  as  regards  the  intrinsic  worth 


28  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

of  the  matter  selected  for  publication,  and  the  manner 
in  which  the  work  is  done." 

These,  and  seA^eral  other  testimonials  of  a  similar  na- 
ture, given  by  competent  judges,  show  how  perfect  is 
the  w^ork  of  the  Howe  Memorial  Press,  and  how  supe- 
riot  in  more  points  than  one  are  the  books  issued  by  it. 

II.  Electrotype  Plates.  —  An  important  step  has  been 
made  during  the  past  year  toward  the  solution  of  one 
of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  the  work  of  embossing 
books  for  the  blind.  We  refer  to  the  process  of  stereo- 
typing. 

The  ordinary  modes  of  casting  metal  plates  either  by 
the  clay  or  by  the  i^apier-mache  process  have  been 
tried  in  succession,  and  proved  very  unsatisfactory. 
Several  of  our  early  publications  have  been  stereotyped 
by  the  former  method  at  considerable  expense.  The 
plates  produced  by  either  of  these  two  processes,  as 
well  as  those  procured  by  means  of  thin  brass  foil 
embossed  from  them  by  strong  pressure,  and  filled  in 
on  the  back  with  cement,  have  been,  and  in  the  nature 
of  things  must  always  be,  defective.  They  can  never 
give  an  absolutely  uniform  and  perfect  impression. 
The  lines  of  the  letters  embossed  from  plates  made  by 
these  processes  are  either  thinner  or  thicker  than 
those  of  the  types  from  which  they  are  taken,  and  are 
generally  uneven. 

During  the  past  few  years  the  common  method  of 
electrotyping  has  been  employed  in  our  printing-office 
to  great  advantage,  and  the  permanence  of  some  of  our 
recent  publications  has  been  secured  by  these  means ; 
but  even  the  electrotype  plates,  although  far  superior  to 
those  produced  by  any    other  method,  were    far   from 


]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  29 

being  perfect  in  every  particular.  In  most  of  them 
there  was  a  want  of  evenness  and  exactness  of  outhne, 
and  a  lack  of  uniformity  in  relief,  which  was  especially 
noticeable  in  the  embossed  work  of  such  a  powerful 
press  as  ours.  Through  the  ingenuity  and  persistent 
endeavors  of  the  manager  of  our  printing  department, 
an  improvement  on  the  process  of  electrotyping  has 
been  devised,  by  means  of  which  an  exact  copy  of  the 
faces  and  shoulders  of  the  types  can  be  transferred  to  a 
copper  shell,  while  the  cost  is  reduced  to  the  lowest  pos- 
sible point.  This  process  is  very  simple.  A  wax 
matrix  is  procured  from  the  type  form  by  means  of  a 
very  powerful  press.  The  mould  thus  obtained  is 
coated  with  plumbago  in  order  to  form  a  metallic  con- 
tinuity for  the  passage  of  the  electric  current,  and  is 
placed  in  a  tank.  A  battery  is  then  applied  which 
causes  the  uniform  deposit  of  copper  on  the  surface  of 
the  wax  matrix.  Thus  a  shell  is  made,  which,  when 
it  has  attained  the  required  thickness,  is  removed  from 
the  mould.  The  lines  of  this  shell  are  filled  on  the 
reverse  side  with  melted  tin,  which  is  rubbed  down  to  a 
true  surface,  and  which  renders  them  perfectly  solid. 
Plates  of  absolute  uniformity,  and  of  a  thickness  of  about 
one  thu'ty-second  of  an  mch,  are  thus  finished,  and  made 
ready  for  the  press.  These  plates  have  been  used  in 
our  printing-office  with  entire  satisfaction.  The  impres- 
sion obtauied  from  them  is  well  nigh  perfect.  A  num- 
ber of  pages  of  the  histories  of  Greece  and  Rome  and 
of  the  Popular  Tales  were  embossed  from  them;  and 
no  one  could  perceive  any  difference  between  these 
pages  and  those  printed  from  the  type  forms  themselves. 
In  addition  to  the  above-named  improvements,  a  num- 


30  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

ber  of-  others  of  a  minor  character  have  been  made  in  the 
printing  department  of  this  institution  during  the  past 
year.  Two  smaller  presses,  one  for  taking  proof  and 
embossing  writing-cards,  and  the  other  for  ink  print, 
have  been  procured.  All  possible  measures  have  been 
taken  to  improve  the  quality  of  embossed  publications, 
and  great  efforts  have  been  made  to  increase  their  num- 
ber while  reducing  their  cost.  The  paper  which  we  use 
is  made  expressly  for  us  from  selected  materials  and 
with  an  uncommonly  strong  fibre,  and  no  pains  have 
been  spared  to  have  our  books  not  only  neatly  but  sub- 
stantially bound. 

Thus  our  printing-office  is  complete  in  all  its  appoint- 
ments, and  well  equipped  with  the  necessary  appliances 
for  carrying  on  its  work  on  a  broad  scale  steadily  and 
vigorously.  All  that  is  now  needed  to  promote  its  use- 
fulness and  make  it  what  it  ought  to  be  —  a  perennial 
source  of  blessing  to  the  blind  —  is  a  permanent  fund, 
the  income  of  which  should  be  sufficient  to  defray  its 
expenses.  Doubtless  there  are  many  benevolent  per- 
sons in  our  community  who,  if  they  understood  the 
workings  of  this  grand  enterprise,  would  be  willing  to 
contribute  to  its  success  from  their  abundance.  To 
them,  and  to  all  generous  people  whose  hearts  can  be 
touched  by  the  magnitude  of  the  calamity  of  blindness 
and  the  needs  of  its  victims,  we  appeal,  and  beg  them 
to  consider  the  claims  of  those  members  of  the  human 
family  who  cannot  feast,  as  they  do,  at  the  broad  table 
of  universal  literature,  but  to  whose  touch  a  few  of  its 
choicest  morsels  may  be  adapted  if  the  means  are  given 
to  us.  A  select  library  for  their  use  is  truly  a  great 
monument  to  benevolence  and  humanitv ;  and  we  can- 


I 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  31 

not  but  hope  that  some  one  will  undertake  to  erect  it  in 
the  near  future. 

Work  Department  for  Adults. 

This  department  continues  to  be  conducted  on  the 
system  adopted  many  years  ago,  and  the  general  princi- 
ples of  its  administration  do  not  differ  in  any  essential 
point  from  those  which  govern  ordinary  business  estab- 
lishments. 

During  the  past  twelve  months,  the  receipts  of  the 
workshop  from  all  sources  have  amounted  to  $13,943.07, 
being  more  by  f  1,571. 83  than  those  of  the  previous 
year. 

The  expenses  for  all  purposes  have  been  $15,163.21. 
Thus  the  balance  against  the  department  is  $990.03, 
whereas  the    sum    of  $1,890.47  was    paid   out  of  the 
treasury  of  the  institution  the  previous  year. 

The  number  of  blind  persons  employed  in  this  depart- 
ment was  nineteen,  and  the  amount  paid  in  cash  to 
them  as  wages  for  their  work  was  $3,186.72,  or  $50.11 
more  than  in  1879. 

This  resume  of  the  accounts  of  the  workshop  tells  its 
story  plainly.  It  shows  clearly  that  there  is  nothing  in 
the  present  condition  and  prospects  of  the  institution 
which  calls  more  emphatically  for  immediate  considera- 
tion and  definite  action  than  the  financial  state  of  this 
department.  Nor  can  temporary  relief  afford  by  any 
means  adequate  remedy.  It  is  a  necessity  of  the  high- 
est importance  that  something  should  be  done  without 
delay  to  protect  the  treasury  of  the  establishment  from 
this  constant  and  almost  chronic  drain. 

As  we  have  repeatedly  stated  in  our  annual  reports. 


32  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

the  workshop  for  adults  has  been  a  blessmg  to  bUnd 
persons,  and  its  preservation  is  a  great  boon  to  many  of 
them.  It  has  supphed  them  with  remunerative  occupa- 
tion, and  thus  rescued  them  from  the  grasp  of  poverty 
and  the  degradation  of  the  almshouse.  It  has  smoothed 
the  pathway  of  life  to  those  on  whom  the  hand  of  afflic- 
tion pressed  heavily,  and  has  enabled  them  to  secure  for 
themselves,  by  industry  and  diligence,  the  comforts  of 
home  and  the  inestimable  enjoyments  of  domestic  hap- 
piness. When,  therefore,  we  reflect  upon  facts  so  vital 
and  so  pregnant  with  the  whole  future  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  blind  persons,  we  must  patiently  but  persistently 
present  the  case  to  our  fellow-citizens,  upon  whose  gen- 
erosity and  liberal  patronage  the  very  existence  of  this 
department  rests,  before  haAdng  recourse  to  the  extreme 
measure  of  discontinuing  it. 

We  need  hardly  say  that  there  will  be  no  want  of 
eff"ort  on  our  part  to  continue  to  uphold  the  industrial 
department  for  adults  and  cidtivate  this  special  field  of 
beneficence  in  the  future  as  we  have  done  in  the  past. 
But  we  beg  to  report  that,  in  order  to  be  able  to  do  so, 
our  hands  must  be  strengthened  by  an  endowment,  — 
the  income  of  which  shall  be  sufficient  to  pay  the  rent 
and  all  the  necessary  expenses  of  the  salesrooms,  —  as 
well  as  by  an  increase  of  patronage.  Our  rules,  ar- 
rangements, and  supplies  of  stock  are  such  as  to  facili- 
tate the  prompt  and  faithful  execution  of  all  orders  left 
at  the  office,  No.  37  Avon  street,  for  new  mattresses, 
pillows,  bolsters,  comforters,  and  feather  beds  ;  for  dress- 
ing, cleansing,  and  making  over  old  ones ;  for  repairing 
and  re-upholstering  all  kinds  of  parlor  furniture;  for 
re-seating  cane-bottomed  chairs ;  for  tuning  and  repair- 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  33 

ing  piano-fortes ;  for  supplying  churches  and  vessels 
with  cushions;  for  brooms,  brushes,  door-mats,  and  the 
like.  We  solicit  orders  for  all  these  on  a  strictly  busi- 
ness footing.  The  articles  manufactured  are  warranted 
to  be  of  the  best  materials  and  faithfully  made  up. 

Pains  are  taken  by  fidelity  in  the  work  and  by  all 
other  means  to  render  our  industrial  department  one  of 
the  best  and  most  rehable  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the 
city.  We  invoke  for  it  the  patronage  and  the  serious 
consideration  of  all  men  and  women  who  are  truly  inter- 
ested in  benevolent  and  philanthropic  objects. 

Retrospective  View  of  the  Work  of  the  School. 
Before  bringing  this,  the  forty-ninth  in  our  series  of 
public  reports,  to  a  close,  we  cannot  forbear  indulging 
in  a  few  remarks  of  a  retrospective  character. 

It  is  now  almost  half  a  century  since  the  attention  of 
a  small  band  of  benevolent  citizens  of  Boston,  given 
for  the  first  time  on  this  continent  to  the  consideration 
of  the  condition  of  the  blind,  resulted  in  the  founda- 
tion of  this  institution.  It  is  just  fifty  years  since  Dr. 
Howe,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  John  D.  Fisher,  entered 
upon  this  enterprise,  and  sailed  for  Europe  for  the  pur- 
pose of  visiting  establishments  of  a  similar  kind  already 
in  operation  there,  examining  the  methods  of  instruc- 
tion therein  employed,  engaging  the  services  of  compe- 
tent teachers,  and  procuring  specimens  of  embossed 
books  and  tangible  apparatus.  Two  generations  have 
nearly  passed  away  since  the  school  entered  upon  its 
career  of  usefulness,  and  not  one  of  its  original  project- 
ors and  benefactors,  who  reared  the  foundations  care- 
fully in  its  infancy  and  worked  so  assiduously  for  its 
maturity  and  success,  is  now  living. 


34  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


In  looking  back  at  that  period,  and  comparing  the 
present  social  and  moral  status  ^nd  the  prospects  of  the 
blind  with  what  they  then  were,  we  cannot  but  see  that 
a  great  work  has  been  accomplished. 

Since  the  foundation  of  our  school  the  mind  of  the 
country  has  become  so  convinced  of  the  justice  and 
benevolence  of  the  cause,  that  at  least  twenty-nine  insti- 
tutions have  been  established  in  different  states,  devoted 
to  this  special  field  of  human  culture.  About  two  thou- 
sand children  are  at  this  moment  pupils  of  these  schools, 
and  about  six  thousand  have  already  gone  forth  from 
them,  having  received  instruction  in  various  branches, 
intellectual,  artistic,  and  mechanical.  It  is  very  encour- 
aging to  note  how  large  a  number  of  these  graduates 
have  been  able  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  successfully, 
and  have  been  not  only  useful  but  happy  men.  It  is 
gratifying  to  know  that  in  most  cases  education  has  so 
formed  their  principles  and  regulated  their  conduct, 
that,  as  they  have  mingled  in  society  and  engaged  in 
business  occupations,  they  have  established  a  character 
for  honor  and  integrity,  and  have  obtained  positions  of 
trust  and  profit,  from  which  they  must  othermse  have 
been  excluded. 

These  facts  are  indeed  remarkable,  and  ought  to  bear 
with  them  much  satisfaction  and  hopefulness.  But  the 
advancement  hitherto  eff'ected  should  be  regarded  as 
merely  a  prelude  to  that  which  is  to  come.  Half  a 
century  is  not  a  long  period  in  the  history  of  such  a 
movement  as  this,  and  the  art  of  educating  the  blind 
and  awakening  in  them  individual  force  and  creative 
ability  is  still  to  be  considered  as  comparatively  recent. 
The   torch  of  science  is  now,  moreover,  sending  forth 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  35 

such  a  clear  and  constant  flame,  and  throwing  such 
abundance  of  hght  mto  every  department  of  human 
thought,  that  what  seemed  to  be  excellent  ten  or  twenty 
years  ago  may  prove  very  incomplete  and  deficient  if 
seen  by  its  rays.  Thus  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  advance 
our  standard  continually  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the 
times,  and  carry  the  enterprise  forward  with  ever-new 
vigor  and  energy,  stimulated,  by  the  success  of  the  past, 
to  greater  achievements  in  the  future. 

General  Remarks. 

In  taking  leave  of  the  members  of  the  corporation, 
we  are  happy  to  state  that  the  aff"airs  and  interests 
of  the  institution  have  been  so  managed  as  to  re- 
ceive our  approbation,  and  that  its  usefulness  and 
importance  are  growing  from  year  to  year.  From 
comparatively  small  beginnings  the  establishment  has 
become  an  educational  agency  of  great  power  and  in- 
fluence, constituting  as  it  does  an  important  link  in 
the  chain  of  our  public  schools,  and  co-operating  with 
them  in  the  fair  distribution  of  knowledge  among  all 
classes  of  children. 

It  is  to  the  credit  of  our  community  and  to  the 
honor  of  the  state,  that  the  institution  stands  to-day 
in  the  front  rank  of  establishments  of  its  kind  as  far 
as  regards  the  completeness  of  its  appointments,*  the 
breadth  of  its  purpose,  the  comprehensiveness  of  its 
objects,  the  liberality  of  its  policy,  and  the  efliciency 
of  its  methods  of  instruction  and  training. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  our  board  to  be  able  to 
bear  witness  to  the  ability,  zeal,  and  fidelity  of  the 
teachers   and   oflScers    upon  whom   devolve  the   labor 


36  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

and  responsibility  of  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  in- 
stitution in  its  various  departments. 

The  trustees  again  extend  a  cordial  invitation  to 
the  members  of  the  corporation  and  to  those  of  the 
executive  of  the  commonwealth  and  of  the  legisla- 
ture, as  well  as  to  the  chief  magistrates  and  other 
officials  of  all  the  New-England  States,  to  visit  the 
school  as  often  as  they  can,  and  to  see  for  themselves 
the  condition  of  the  household,  the  progress  of  the 
pupils,  and  the  benefits  which  they  are  deriving  from 
the  public  aid  afforded  to  them. 

Commending  the  institution  and  all  the  interests  of 
the  blind  to  the  representatives  of  the  people,  upon 
whose  fairness  and  sense  of  justice  the  majority  of 
our  pupils  depend  for  their  education,  to  the  benev- 
olent, the  intelligent,  the  wise  and  good  everywhere, 
from  many  of  whom  we  continually  receive  indica- 
tions of  sympathy  and  friendly  approbation  in  our 
work,  we  close  this  report. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

ROBERT   E.  APTHORP, 
JOHN   S.  D WIGHT, 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER, 
J.  THEODORE   HEARD, 
HENRY  LEE   HIGGINSON, 
JAMES  H.  MEANS, 
ANDREW   P.  PEABODY, 
EDWARD   N.  PERKINS, 
JOSIAH   QUINCY, 
SAMUEL   G.  SNELLING, 
JAMES   STURGIS, 
GEORGE  W.  WALES, 

Trustees. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  37 

South  Boston,  Oct.  13,  1880. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  summoned  accord- 
ing to  the  b^'-laws,  and  held  this  day  at  the  institution,  the 
foregoing  was  accepted,  and  ordered  to  be  printed,  together 
with  the  reports  of  the  director  and  treasurer  and  the  usual  ac- 
companying documents ;    and   the   ofllcers   for  the   ensuing  j-ear 

were  elected. 

M.  ANAGNOS,  Secretary. 


INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 


THE  REPOET  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To   THE  Board   of   Trustees. 

Gentlemen^  —  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  to  your  con- 
sideration the  customary  annual  report  on  the  workings 
of  the  institution  and  the  management  of  its  internal 
affairs. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  review  the  history  of  such  an  au- 
spicious year  as  the  last  has  been,  and  to  place  its  work 
on  record ;  to  note  the  progress  that  has  been  effected ; 
to  commend  to  your  attention  certain  measures,  the 
adoption  of  which  would,  in  my  judgn;^ent,  tend  to 
advance  the  interests  and  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
school ;  and  to  present  such  thoughts  and  suggestions 
on  the  education  of  the  blind  in  general  as  come  within 
the  scope  of  a  document  of  this  kind. 

No  interruption  or  disturbance  has  occurred  to  inter- 
fere with  the  usual  quiet  course  of  things,  and  the  year 
has  not  been  marked  by  any  uncommon  events. 

The  various  departments  of  the  institution  have  been 
conducted  with  ability  and  discretion,  and  the  labors 
of  the  year  have  been  productive  of  very  satisfactory 
results. 

The  teachers  and  officers  have  been  faithful  in  the 
performance  of  their  duties,  and  have  done  all  in  their 
power  to  improve  the  minds  and  elevate  the  character 
of  those  placed  under  their  charge. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  39 

Good  order  has  prevailed  at  all  times  ;  and  the  pupils 
have,  as  a  general  rule,  responded  with  cheerfulness, 
a»d  in  a  manly  spuit,  to  the  requirements  of  those  in 
authority,  and  have  shown  a  real  interest  in  their  work. 

I  may  safely  state  here  that  the  institution  never 
stood  higher  in  these  respects  than  at  present. 

The  ordinary  means  and  methods  of  intellectual, 
moral,  musical,  and  technical  instruction  and  training, 
have  been  steadily  pursued  with  such  improvements, 
modifications,  and  additions,  as  experience  has  suggested 
and  progress  has  seemed  to  require. 

A  judicious  division  of  the  time  into  the  hours  of 
study,  practice  on  musical  instruments,  handicraft,  exer- 
cise, and  rest,  has  been  made  as  heretofore ;  and  its 
legitimate  results  may  be  easily  seen  in  the  happiness 
and  contentment  of  the  scholars,  as  well  as  in  their 
healthy  appearance,  and  their  advancement  in  their 
studies. 

The  aims  and  purposes  of  the  school  have  been 
constantly  kept  in  view ;  and  pains  have  been  taken  to 
enlarge  our  collections  of  specimens  and  appliances 
adapted  to  the  sense  of  touch,  and  to  procure  such 
facilities  as  w^ould  contribute  to  the  thorough  training 
of  the  pupils. 

All  the  systematic  arrangements  pertaining  to  the 
internal  economy  of  the  establishment  which  have  here- 
tofore proved  satisfactory  have  not  only  been  preserved? 
but  improved  more  or  less,  so  as  to  secure  thorough 
efficiency  in  the  management  of  the  various  details  of 
the  household,  and  regularity  in  the  movements  of  the 
domestic  machinery. 

The  general  interest  which  the  community  has  always 


40  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

shown  in  all  questions  relating  to  the  education  and 
welfare  of  the  blind  has  been  fully  sustained  during 
the  past  year,  and  the  principles  and  policy  which  were 
inculcated  at  the  commencement  of  the  institution  by 
its  great  founder  are  bearing  abundant  fruit. 

Number  of  Inmates. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected  with 
the  various  departments  of  the  institution  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  past  year,  as  teachers,  pupils,  employes,  and 
work  men  and  women,  was  162.  There  have  since  been 
admitted  17;  23  have  been  discharged,  making  the 
present  total  number  156.  Of  these,  137  are  in  the 
school  proper,  and  19  in  the  workshop  for  adults. 

The  first  class  includes  125  boys  and  girls  enrolled  as 
pupils,  8  teachers,  and  4  domestics.  Of  the  pupils 
there  are  now  57  boys  and  47  girls  in  attendance,  13 
of  the  former  and '  8  of  the  latter  being  absent  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability,  or  from  other  causes. 

The  second  class  comprises  16  men  and  3  women, 
employed  in  the  industrial  department  for  adults. 

Of  the  156  blind  persons  connected  with  the  institu- 
tion 151  belong  to  New  England,  and  5  have  come  to 
us  from  the  West  and  South,  —  one  from  each  of  the 
states  of  Minnesota,  Michigan,  New  York,  Ohio,  and 
Tennessee.  A  sixth,  belonging  to  Indiana,  is  about  to 
be  admitted.  Some  of  these  young  men  have  already 
passed  through  the  course  of  study  pursued  at  the 
several  institutions  of  their  respective  states,  and  have 
graduated  from  them.  They  have  come  to  Boston  for 
the  purpose  of  pursuing  their  musical  education  further, 
and  of  acquiring  the  art  of  tuning  piano-fortes,  both 
theoretically  and  practically. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  41 

Graduates  and  their  General  Success. 

Six  of  those  whose  connection  with  the  institution 
terminated  at  the  end  of  the  last  school  session  were 
regular  graduates,  having  gone  through  the  entire 
course  of  study  and  training  given  here,  and  receiving 
diplomas  at  the  close  of  the  term.  They  have  all 
labored  faithfully  and  assiduously  to  qualify  themselves 
for  a  career  of  activity  and  usefulness,  and  are  all  well 
fitted  to  enter  the  arena  of  practical  life,  and  to  become 
self-supporting. 

I  may  add,  in  this  connection,  that  we  continue 
to  receive  interesting  and  favorable  accounts  from  a 
large  number  of  our  graduates,  who  are  succeed- 
ing remarkably  well  m  obtaining  a  comfortable  living, 
and  are  respected  as  useful  citizens.  Many  of  these 
have  had  great  obstacles  to  overcome  at  the  outset,  and 
all  of  them  have  had  to  fight  their  way,  more  or  less, 
through  the  clouds  of  incredulity  and  common  prejudice 
as  to  then-  ability  and  skill  to  pursue  any  of  the  liberal 
professions,  or  to  work  at  any  of  the  mechanic  arts. 
But,  by  diligent  application  and  exemplary  conduct, 
they  have  conquered  all  difficulties,  and  have  not  only 
taken  their  places  in  the  ranks  of  society,  but  have,  in 
some  instances,  even  gained  a  certain  degree  of  distinc- 
tion. 

Sanitary  Condition. 

The  general  health  of  the  household  throughout  the 
year  has  been  excellent.  No  epidemic  of  any  kind  has 
prevailed,  and  no  case  of  death  or  of  serious  illness 
has  occurred.  This  is  the  more  extraordinary  when 
we  recollect  the  natural  physical  debility  of  the  pupils, 
and  their  low  stamina. 


42  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

In  a  large  number  of  cases  blindness  is  caused  by 
some  severe  illness  in  early  life,  which  often  leaves  an 
indelible  impression  on  the  constitution,  and  renders  it 
more  liable  to  the  attacks  of  disease  ever  after.  In 
another  class  of  those  who  come  under  our  care,  the 
extinction  of  sight  is  simply  a  visible  symptom  of  some 
latent  organic  disorder;  and  in  still  another,  which  is 
quite  numerous,  dimness  of  vision  is  produced  by  what 
is  called,  in  general  terms,  scrofula.  This  disease  is 
usually  hereditary,  or,  when  not  so,  results  from  want  of 
proper  regard  to  diet,  exercise,  and  habits  of  personal 
cleanliness  during  the  early  years  of  childhood.  If  left 
unchecked,  it  undermines  the  constitution,  wastes  its 
vitality,  and  leads  to  consumption  and  other  fatal  dis- 
orders. The  fact  is,  that  either  from  the  same  causes 
which  bring  about  the  loss  of  sight,  or  in  consequence 
of  the  effects  of  this  misfortune,  and  the  habits  which 
it  superinduces  upon  its  victims,  there  are  but  very. few 
among  the  blind  who  may  be  considered  as  typical  speci- 
mens of  perfect  health.  I  am  aware  that  this  is  a  very 
serious  statement,  but  it  is  as  true  as  it  is  grave. 

The  healthfulness  of  the  mental  life  and  activity  of 
our  pupils  depends  solely  upon  the  soundness  of  their 
material  organism ;  that  is,  the  physical  condition  which 
secures  the  uniform  and  regular  performance  of  all  the 
functions  of  the  body  arising  from  the  harmonious  action 
of  every  one  of  its  parts.  Hence  all  possible  means  are 
taken  in  our  institution  for  the  improvement  an^  con- 
servation of  the  health  of  the  household,  and  no  object 
is  considered  of  greater  importance  than  that  of  care- 
fully and  wisely  guarding  against  any  and  all  influences 
that  would  impair  or  endanger  it.     Our  sanitary  arrange- 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  43 

ments  and  hygienic  regulations  are  most  cautiously  made ; 
cleanliness  and  regular  habits  of  life  are  strictly  enforced 
upon  all,  and  special  attention  is  paid  to  the  preparation, 
quality,  quantity,  and  variety  of  food,  which  is  one  of 
the  fundamental  agencies  in  the  promotion  of  physical 
well-being,  since  from  it  is  obtained  the  material  neces- 
sary for  the  growth  of  the  body,  and  for  the  supply  of 
the  waste  occasioned  by  muscular  and  mental  action. 
It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  in  all  changes  of 
diet  the  real,  and  not  the  imaginary,  wants  of  the  pupils 
are  consulted.  For  it  is  often  the  case  that  a  false  de- 
mand is  created  by  injudicious  supplies,  which  becomes 
imperious  in  after  life. 

Objects  and  Scope  of  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

The  subject  of  education  is  one  which  has  occupied 
many  of  the  greatest  minds  from  the  remotest  times 
down  to  the  present  day.  Philosophers  and  writers 
have  earnestly  discussed  and  variously  defined  it.  "  I 
call  that  education,"  says  Fellenberg,  "  which  embraces 
the  culture  of  the  whole  man  with  all  his  faculties, 
subjecting  his  senses,  his  understanding,  and  his  passions, 
to  reason  and  to  conscience."  According  to  Dugald 
Stewart,  "  To  educate  is  to  cultivate  the  principles  of 
man's  nature,  both  speculative  and  active,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  bring  them  to  the  greatest  perfection  of 
which  they  are  susceptible."  Richter  observes  that 
"  education  should  bring  to  light  the  ideal  of  the  indi- 
vidual." Horace  Mann  remarks  that,  "  it  is  to  inspire 
truth  as  the  supreme  good,  and  to  clarify  the  vision  of 
the  intellect  to  discern  it ;  "  and  Herbert  Spencer  sums 
up  its  functions  as  teaching  us  "in  what  way  to  treat 


44  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  body,  in  what  way  to  treat  the  mind,  in  what  way 
to  behave  as  a  citizen,  in  what  way  to  utilize  all  those 
sources  of  happiness  which  nature  supplies,  how  to  use 
our  faculties  to  the  greatest  advantage  of  ourselves  and 
others,  how  to  live  completely." 

But,  be  the  definitions  of  writers  what  they  may,  and 
let  their  opinions  on  the  subject  differ  as 'widely  as  they 
can,  the  end  and  aim  of  education  is  now  clearly  under- 
stood as  being  to  promote  and  guide  the  harmonious 
and  normal  growth  of  children,  to  unfold  all  their  fac- 
ulties and  powers  systematically  and  symmetrically,  to 
impart  to  them  the  greatest  possible  capacity  of  thought 
and  action,  and  to  make  of  them  complete  human 
beings,  endowed  with  a  healthy  and  beautiful  physical 
formation,  with  broad  and  enlightened  minds,  and  with 
dignified  and  firm  sentiments.  In  other  words,  its 
object  is  to  give  humanity  its  fuUest  expansion,  its  most 
perfect  development. 

Education  begins  almost  spontaneously  in  the  earliest 
stages  of  childhood  with  a  mother's  glance ;  with  a 
father's  nod  of  approbation  or  sign  of  reproof ;  a  sister's 
gentle  pressure  of  the  hand ;  an  elder  brother's  generous 
attention ;  a  handful  of  flowers  gathered  in  the  green 
meadows ;  the  thoughts  directed  in  sweet  and  kindly 
tones  and  words  to  nature  and  beauty,  to  goodness 
and  truth.  This  is  all  well  and  good  as  far  as  it  goes, 
but  it  is  not  all  sufficient.  Something  more  is  re- 
quired ;  and  this  is  a  system  of  trauiing  so  well  organ- 
ized and  so  completely  arranged  as  to  nurture  and  bring 
to  the  highest  maturity  the  intelligence  and  the  moral 
nature  ~in  children ;  to  foster  budding  capacities  for 
good,  and  even  for  what  is  great  and  noble  in  charac- 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  45 

ter ;  to  endow  them  with,  free  and  full  use  of  all  their 
powers,  and  make  them  natural,  modest,  frank,  and 
real ;  and,  finally,  to  give  a  sufficient  scope  for  the 
development  of  those  activities  which,  in  their  combina- 
tion, constitute  life. 

Such  are,  in  brief,  the  ends  and  aims  of  education, 
and  such  the  requirements  for  their  accomplishment. 
But,  while  its  general  principles  and  essential  laws  are 
equally  applicable  to  both  seeing  and  blind  youth,  the 
means  and  methods,  as  well  as  the  mechanical  appli- 
ances and  apparatus  employed  in  the  training  of  the 
latter,  compared  with  those  used  in  the  ordinary  educa- 
tional systems,  must  be  as  much  more  varied  and 
comprehensive  as  the  peculiarities  and  obstacles  are 
greater  in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other. 

In  the  case  of  ordinary  children  all  the  natural  chan- 
nels of  communication  between  the  mind  and  the  exter- 
nal world  are  open.  Sensation  is  a  law  of  their  being ; 
perception  is  the  next  direct  step  from  it ;  and  then 
recognition,  conception,  memory,  comparison,  ratiocina- 
tion, judgment,  and  imagination,  as  naturally  follow. 
Educated  by  these  simple  intellectual  operations,  their 
attention  naturally  turns  inward,  and,  with  the  exercise 
of  consciousness,  children  become  capable  of  compre- 
hending the  laws  and  principles  of  their  own  minds. 
The  will  undergoes  a  simultaneous  development  through 
the  reciprocating  influences  of  intelligence  and  volition. 

In  the  case  of  the  blind,  one  of  the  broadest  and 
most  important  avenues  of  sense,  through  which  at 
least  one-third  of  the  nervous  impressions  necessary 
for  sensation  and  consciousness  pass  to  the  sensorium, 
is  entirely  closed.     This  obstruction  between  the  mind 


46  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

and  the  outer  world,  aside  from  undermining  the  vital- 
ity of  the  physical  organization,  acts  as  a  disturbing 
force  in  the  order  of  the  development  of  the  various 
intellectual  and  moral  faculties  which  go  to  form  char- 
acter, and  renders  its  victims  as  ^^eak  and  irresolute 
in  thought  and  purpose  as  they  are  feeble  and  flabby 
in  fibre.  Its  effects,  as  seen  in  a  large  number  of  in- 
dividuals, are  somewhat  like  those  of  light  coming 
upon  a  plant  from  one  side  only,  and  causing  it  to 
grow  crooked.  They  constitute  a  novel  phasis  of 
human  development,  which  is  surely  worth  the  careful 
study  of  scientific  men.  Owing  to  their  infirmity,  the 
sensations  of  the  blind  are,  in  the  natural  order  of 
things,  imperfect.  They  awaken  indistinct  and  limited 
perceptions,  and  consequently  the  intellectual  processes 
that  follow  will  be  feeble.  For  the  operation  of  the 
higher  functions  of  the  mind  in  solving  the  problems 
of  thought  and  in  arriving  at  just  conclusions  depends 
upon  the  faithfulness  with  which  the  powers  of  per- 
ception have  been  cultivated,  and  upon  the  variety  and 
quality  of  the  materials  which  these  powers  have  gath- 
ered. F^rom  insufficient  data  and  incorrect  premises 
no  right  conclusions  can  be  reached.  Such  are  some 
of  the  most  striking  effects  of  the  obstruction  of  the 
visual  sense. 

In  arranging  a  system  for  the  instruction  and  train- 
ing of  the  blind,  special  cognizance  should  be  taken 
of  the  physical  peculiarities  and  psychological  phe- 
nomena arising  from  their  infirmity ;  and  efficient  means 
should  be  employed  for  reducing  its  consequences  to 
the  minimum,  for  counteracting  its  undesirable  effects 
as  far  as  may  be,  for  building  up  the  whole  character 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  47 

of  its  victims,  and  for  raising  them  as  hear  as  possible 
to  the  social  and  moral  standard  of  the  community. 
Careful  attention  to  the  thorough  cultivation  of  the 
remaining  senses  is  not  the  least  of  these  means, 
since  it  is  an  undisputed  fact,  that,  by  proper  train- 
ing and  efficient  exercise,  they  acquire  a  power  which 
is  quite  remarkable,  and  which,  although  it  cannot 
substitute  the  specific  functions  of  sight,  yet  goes  far 
enough  to  serve  as  a  compensation  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge. 

The  education  of  the  blind,  as  well  as  that  of  all 
classes  of  children,  is  purely  an  inductive  science ;  and 
its  principles  and  rules  must  be  based  upon  a  long 
and  careful  observation  of  the  manifestations  of  the 
mind,  presented  in  its  several  stages  of  growth,  and 
must  aim  at  the  full  development  of  the  powers  of 
its  recipients.  It  was  upon  this  groundwork  that  the 
great  benefactor  of  the  blind.  Dr.  Howe,  aided  by  t>he 
light  of  his  day,  labored  through  life  with  marvellous 
success  to  rear  the  structure.  But  unhappily  this  in- 
teresting science  does  not  seem  to  keep  pace  with  the 
march  of  progress,  and,  as  it  now  exists  in  many 
places,  is  even  little  less  than  empirical.  It  is  founded 
on  no  rigid  laws  gathered  from  the  systematic  obser- 
vation of  the  physical  difficulties  and  the  consideration 
of  the  various  effects  arising  from  the  loss  of  sight. 
Nor  is  its  practice  sufficiently  consistent  to  deserve  the 
title  of  an  art.  This  result  is  owing,  not  so  much  to 
the  uncertainties  surrounding  the  subject,  as  to  the 
lack  of  scientific  training  and  scholarly  attainments  in 
its  expounders.  I  am  aware  that  in  making  this 
assertion,  even  with  the  kindest  intention,  I  am  touch- 


48  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

ing  upon  a  very  sensitive  point;  but  loyalty  to  truth 
and  justice  to  the  cause  itself  compel  me  to  forego 
my  personal  feelings,  and  to  state  candidly  that  no 
educational  enterprise  for  the  blind  can  succeed,  and 
no  system  for  their  instruction  and  training  can  attain 
perfection  and  bear  ripe  fruit,  unless  those  who  control 
it  be  men  of  superior  talents  and  learning,  able  to 
branch  oif  from  the  beaten  tracks  of  mere  routine 
work,  and  follow  progress  in  its  higher  flights,  and 
unless  its  importance  be  so  fully  recognized  by  the 
community  at  large  that  the  gates  of  the  temples  in 
which  the  enterprise  is  enshrined  are  hermetically 
closed  against  the  whirlwinds  of  partisan  strife  and 
capricious  favoritism,  which  too  often  bring  with  them 
confusion  and  desolation.     ' 

The  success  and  happiness  of  the  blind  lie  in  the 
thoroughness  of  their  education,  and  in  the  just  pro- 
portion in  which  theh  faculties  are  developed,  their 
powers  increased,  and  their  sentiments  refined.  The 
provisions  made  for  their  instruction  and  training,  both 
intellectual  and  professional,  must  be  so  skilfully  and 
wisely  administered  as  to  enable  them  to  reap  the 
greatest  possible  amount  of  good,  to  enter  the  domain 
of  social  and  mdustrial  activities,  to  assume  the  re- 
sponsibilities and  enjoy  the  privileges  of  citizenship, 
and  fully  to  realize  the  grandeur  of  the  continuity  of 
intellectual  tradition,  thus  taking  an  active  part  in  all 
movements  concerning  human  affairs,  and  toiling  cheer- 
fully in  the  ranks  of  their  fellow-men.  As  Geoffrey 
Saint-Hilaire's  mental  vision  was  brought  to  such  a 
point  of  clearness  that  the  loss  of  the  sense  of  sight 
did   not   prevent   him   from   beholding   the   future    of 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  49 

zoology,  so  his  brethren  in  misfortune  may  be  raised 
by  earnest  and  incessant  effort  to  such  an  intellectual 
and  moral  height  as  to  be  able  to  look  with  the  eye 
of  faith  and  hope  beyond  the  trials  which  now  shroud 
their  lot,  and  "  the  struggle  for  the  survival  of  the 
fittest,"  and  gaze  on  the  blaze  of  the  great  destinies 
of  humanity.  » 

When  education  is  so  well  organized  as  to  tend  to 
transfer  the  allegiance  of  all  races  and  classes  of  people 
to  the  wider  interests  of  culture,  freedom,  and  civiliza- 
tion, and  rises  to  be  the  handmaid  of  ethical  purpose, 
then  and  then  only  may  it  worthily  take  its  place  beside 
the  grandest  products  of  human  development,  having 
,as  its  objects  to  enrich  and  beautify  the  lives  of  men  by 
tuning  them  unconsciously  into  harmony  with  whatever 
is  noblest  in  nature  and  m  humanity. 

The  Various  Departments  of  the  Institution. 

It  is  obvious  from  the  above  remarks  that  the  first 
and  most  fundamental  principle  in  the  work  of  the 
institution  is  to  unfold  the  mental  faculties  and 
strengthen  the  bodily  powers  of  its  beneficiaries  in 
definite  order  by  regular  and  constant  exercises  adapted 
to  the  requirements  of  their  case ;  to  train  them  up  in 
virtuous  and  industrious  habits  ;  to  increase,  by  thorough 
cultivation,  the  quickness  and  accuracy  of  their  remain- 
ing senses  ;  and  to  develop  to  the  utmost  extent  all  their 
capacities  and  aptitudes,  so  that  the  abse;nce  of  sight 
may  not  be  for  them  a  bar  to  social  relationship  upon 
terms  of  entire  equality. 

Our  system  of  education  is,  no  doubt,  far  from  being 
perfect  in  every  detail,  or  complete  in  all  its  appoint- 


50  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

ments ;  but  it  is  on  the  whole  sound  in  principle,  practi- 
cal in  its  purposes,  broad  in  its  views,  liberal  in  its 
policy,  and  well  adapted  to  the  wants  and  peculiarities 
of  the  class  of  children  for  whose  special  benefit  it  is 
intended. 

The  principal  instrumentalities  employed  for  carrying 
out  this  system,  although  they  have  been  repeatedly  set 
forth  in  former 'reports,  may  be  again  briefly  stated  as 
follows :  —  \ 

Firsts  instruction  in  stich  branches  of  study  as  consti- 
tute the  curriculum  of  our  best  common  schools  and 
academies. 

Secondly,  lessons  and  practice  in  music,  both  vocal 
and  instrumental. 

Thirdly,  systematic  instruction  in  the  theory  and 
practice  of  the  art  of  tuning  piano-fortes. 

Fourthly,  training  in  one  or  more  simple  trades,  and 
work  at  some  mechanical  or  domestic  occupation. 

Fifthly,  regular  gymnastic  drill  under  the  care  of 
competent  teachers,  and  plenty  of  exercise  in  the  open 
air. 

Of  the  working  and  effects  of  these  instrumentalities 
during  the  past  year,  a  full  account  will  be  found* in  the 
following  pages,  where  each  department  of  the  institu- 
tion is  separately  reviewed. 

Literary  Department. 

Man  is  a  hunter  of  truth  ;  this  is  the  definition  which 
Plato  gives  of  him.  But  the  greatest  and  most  luminous 
star  in  the  firmament  of  ideal  philosophy  omits  to  point 
out  the  place  where  human  beings  can  be  thoroughly 
qualified  to  follow  this  pursuit  successfully. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  51 

In  our  own  days,  in  addition  to  a  good  and  sunny- 
home,  it  would  evidently  be  a  well-organized  and  prop- 
erly conducted  school  or  academy.  Here  light  breaks 
out  of  darkness,  revealing  the  wonders  of  nature  and 
the  accumulated  experience  of  mankind.  Here  the 
intellect  is  awakened  from  its  winter  torpor,  and  rejoices 
in  a  new  and  active  life.  Here  the  soil  of  the  mind  is 
carefully  cultivated,  and  enriched  with  germs  which 
have  in  them  the  virtue  of  perennial  growth.  Here 
confidence  in  the  native  powers  and  resources  is  fostered, 
and  aptitude  for  invention  is  stimulated.  Finally,  here 
are  provided  the  necessary  means  for  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  a  refined  and  correct  taste  and  of  a  noble  char- 
acter. 

How  great,  then,  is  the  responsibility  of  planning  and 
organizing  a  school  dedicated  to  the  instruction  of 
youth,  and  how  delicate  and  difficult  the  task  of  carry- 
ing out  the  workings  of  its  mechanism  when  once  estab- 
lished !  Even  as  the  best  and  most  perfectly  constructed 
clock  needs  to  be  wound  up  at  certain  intervals,  so  would 
an  institution  for  the  training  and  teaching  of  children 
and  youth  run  down,  its  machinery  grow  rusty,  and  its 
hands  point  stupidly  and  obstinately  to  the  wrong  time 
of  day,  if  it  were  not  wound  up  from  time  to  time. 

From  the  danger  of  becoming  stationary  or  even  ret- 
rograde, it  has  been  our  constant  care  to  guard  the  lit- 
erary department  of  this  institution  as  thoroughly  and 
conscientiously  as  might  be ;  and  it  may  safely  be  said 
that  these  efforts  have  not  proved  futile. 

The  progress  of  the  school  during  the  past  year  has 
been  exceedingly  satisfactory,  and  the  amount  and  value 
of  the  work  accomplished  by  both  teachers  and  pupils 


52  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

may  be  weighed  by  the  mental  growth  of  the  one  and 
the  increase  in  power  and  ability  of  the  other. 

The  course  of  study  has  been  arranged  in  exact 
accordance  with  the  needs  of  each  stage  of  mental 
development ;  and,  as  it  now  stands,  it  gives  the  pupils 
a  fair  quota  of  work  without  being  burdensome  or  inju- 
rious. The  branches  embraced  have  been  taught  in  a 
simple  and  thorough  manner,  and  knowledge  has  been 
imparted  in  the  way  which  science  points  out  and  expe- 
rience, approves. 

At  the  close  of  the  term  a  public  examination  was 
held,  which  was  witnessed  by  the  friends  of  the  schol- 
ars and  several  members  of  your  board,  and  which, 
according  to  the  general  testimony,  would  have  been 
very  creditable  to  any  educational  establishment. 

Some  of  the  pupils  have  needed  occasional  correction 
as  regards  their  outward  behavior ;  but  more  have 
requhed  to  be  stimulated  to  greater  energy,  and  to  be 
cured  of  listless  and  inactive  habits.  Their  progress, 
however,  has  been  on  the  whole  of  the  solid  and  lasting 
kind ;  in  many  cases  rapid  as  well  as  thorough.  They 
have  been  taught  to  observe  carefully,  to  understand 
readily,  to  reflect  accurately  and  rationally,  to  express 
their  ideas  concisely,  and  to  use  their  hands  skilfully ; 
and  have  been  trained  to  grow  up  to  be  vigorous  think- 
ers, strong  reasoners,  and  independent  workers.  Con- 
sistency and  clearness  of  views,  distinctness  of  state- 
ment, coherence  of  argument,  and  absence  of  repetition 
and  tautology,  have  been  persistently  required  in  most 
of  their  recitations.  In  the  mean  time  care  has  been 
taken  that  acquisition  should  not  go  beyond  the  pale  of 
mental  discipline,  and  that  the  taxation  of  the  intellect 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  53 

should  be  kept  entirely  within  the  limits  of  the  consti- 
tutional capacity  and  physical  endurance  of  the  chil- 
dren. 

Whatever  has  been  the  success  of  the  school,  is 
mainly  due  to  the  zeal  and  fidelity  with  which  the 
teachers  have  discharged  their  duties,  and  to  their  adapt- 
ability for  their  work.  They  have  endeavored  to  raise 
the  intellectual  standard  as  well  as  the  moral  tone  of 
the  school,  and  have  met  with  good  success.  They 
study  its  best  interests,  and  are  diligent  and  conscien- 
tious in  their  labors  to  advance  them.  They  strive  to 
acquaint  themselves  with  the  mental  condition,  habits, 
temperament,. and  capacity  of  each  individual,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  make  the  necessary  allowances  and  discrimi- 
nations. They  enforce  habits  of  regularity,  punctu- 
ality, industry,  self-control,  and  politeness ;  but  they  do 
all  this  with  genuine  sympathy,  and  with  a  patience  that 
no  irritability  of  temper  or  dulness  of  intellect  can 
exhaust.  I  can  truly  say  that,  in,  the  dealings  of  all  our 
teachers  and  pupils,  Shakspeare's  counsel,  is  often  well 
carried  out :  — 

"  What  thou  wilt, 
Thou  rather  shalt  euforce  it  with  a  smile, 
Than  hew  to't  with  thy  sword." 

Most  of  our  instructors,  moreover,  manifest  a  sincere 
fondness  for  their  work  ;  and  this  is  an  invaluable  qual- 
ification. Where  this  love  of  one's  work  is  found,  the 
course  of  things  is  like  the  smooth  flowing  of  a  stream 
sparkling  and  dancing  in  the  sunlight.  But  where  such 
love  is  wanting,  many  an  eflbrt,  like  a  wave  driven  on 
the  beach  by  a  gale,  returns  bafiled  and  wasted  upon 
itself. 


54  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  same  system  of  instruction  which  has  been 
described  in  preceding  reports  has  been  pui'sued  during 
the  past  year,  with  such  modifications  and  improve- 
ments as  the  circumstances  of  particular  classes  have 
seemed  to  demand,  or  the  light  of  progress  to  indicate. 

Linguistic  formulte,  mechanical  spelling,  dry  dates 
and  tables,  vague  geographical  notions,  obscure  mathe- 
matical abstractions,  and  all  that  mass  of  antiquated 
rubbish  which  has  been  palmed  off  on  all  schools  as 
educational  wealth,  has  been  gradually  discarded,  and 
replaced  by  more  rational  methods.  Instead  of  rattling 
off  definitions  of  grammar  and  parsing  like  automata, 
the  pupils  have  been  taught  to  frame  sentences  and 
learn  practically  the  structure  of  language.  Instead  of 
repeating  glibly  the  contents  of  a  text-book  on  history, 
they  have  been  required  to  state  connectedly  and  in  a 
simple  manner  the  most  prominent  events  of  the  past 
and  their  causes,  and,  if  possible,  ^o  point  out  the  effects 
which  they  exercised  on  human  affairs.  Instead  of 
shouting  out  in  concert  the  names  of  countries,  states, 
capitals,  cities,  rivers,  and  mountains,  they  have  been 
instructed  first  to  examine  tangible  representations  of 
all  parts  of  the  globe,  starting  from  the  nearest  and 
most  familiar  ones,  and  then  to  name  them,  and  state 
briefly  what  they  know  about  them.  Instead  of  gab- 
bling the  rules  of  arithmetic  like  parrots,  they  have 
been  trained  to  solve  new  and  unexpected  problems, 
Instead  of  prating  forth  confused  ideas  on  the  external 
world  .enveloped  in  misty  verbalism,  they  have  been  led 
to  study  the  rudiments  of  the  natural  sciences  objec- 
tively, and  to  give  a  plain  account  of  what  they  had 
learned  about  them.     That  system  of  instruction  which 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  55 

combines  naturalness  with  scientific  efficacy,  grace  with 
vigor,  and  simpHcity  with  solidity,  calls  into  exercise 
the  most  useful  faculties  of  the  mind,  opens  to  the 
pupils  vistas  of  research  in  the  direction  of  general  cul- 
ture, and  exerts  a  purifying  and  elevating  influence 
upon  their  character.  In  the  training  of  children  we 
must  keep  constantly  in  view  the  creative  and  produc- 
tive divinity  of  nature,  which  prefigures  and  determines 
the  future  plant  in  the  tenderest  germ,  shields  and  pro- 
tects it  carefully,  and  out  of  the  smallest  and  simplest 
develops  gradually,  step  by  step,  the  highest  and  noblest. 

All  available  means  conducing  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  habit  of  analytical  observation  have  been  eagerly 
employed  in  our  school.  This  faculty  is  a  very  im- 
portant factor  in  education,  and  should  receive  all  the 
attention  which  can  be  bestowed  upon  it.  As  the  young 
Apollo  is  represented  by  one  antique  sculptor  as  watch- 
ing the  quick  and  alert  movements  of  the  sau^'us,  and 
divining  from  its  motions  things  relating  to  humanity, 
so  children  should  be  taught  to  notice  or  examine  every 
thing  in  the  outer  life  of  the  glad  and  active  earth. 
Much  of  the  force  which  discovers  and  originates  is  due 
to  this  faculty.  The  incident  of  Archimedes  and  his 
bath  illustrates  strikingly  the  efi"ects  of  habitual  obser- 
vation. 

In  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  the  pupils  are  generally 
inspired  with  a  determination  to  accomplish  whatever 
they  undertake,  rather  than  with  a  desire  to  attempt 
great  things.  By  the  time  that  they  reach  such  a  de- 
gree of  self-confidence  as  to  think  it  within  their  power 
to  perform  a  certain  kind  of  work,  they  are  fully  able 
to  do  it.     They  have  learned  to  believe  in  their  own 


56  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

capacity,  to  trust  themselves,  and  to  rely  upon  their  own 
resources.     As  an  eminent  writer  puts  it, — 

"  Possunt  quia,  posse  viclentur." 

Most  of  the  exercises  of  the  school  are  calculated  to 
train  the  senses  of  the  pupils,  and  to  enable  them  to 
perceive  accurately,  to  form  exact  ideas,  and  to  express 
them  clearly  in  simple  language.  This  practice  opposes 
any  tendency  to  exaggeration  or  to  habitual  mistakes, 
gives  them  access  to  correct  and  vital  knowledge,  and, 
above  all,  strengthens  the  sense  and  love  of  truth  in 
every  part  of  life.  The  latter  quality  contains  in  itself 
a  potent  charm  which  bears  a  man  safely  through  the 
entanglements  of  the  w^orld.  It  not  only  makes  him 
more  simple  and  natural,  and  less  liable  to  error,  but 
it  conduces  to  his  highest  intellectual  development. 
Goethe  says  that  the  love  of  truth  show^s  itself  in  dis- 
covering and  appreciating  what  is  good  wherever  it  may 
exist. 

The  communication  of  knowledge  is  generally  fol- 
lowed by  an  aw^akening  of  the  active  powers  of  the 
mind ;  so  that  the  pupils  seem  as  if  they  were  discov- 
ering truth  rather  than  learning  it.  The  scholar  'be- 
comes the  potent  creator  of  the  study  he  apprehends. 
Sir  William  Hamilton  says  that  "  self-activity  is  the 
indispensable  condition  of  improvement ;  "  and  too  much 
care  can  never  be  given  to  the  development  of  this 
power.  Children  often  become  sick  through  the  evils 
following  upon  the  constant  reception  of  knowledge  in 
a  passive  manner,  and  can  only  be  made  healthy  by 
working  for  its  acquisition. 

But,  while   incessant   endeavors  have  been  made  to 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  57 

give  systematic  instruction  to  the  pupils,  developing 
their  faculties  in  definite  order,  and  rendering  them 
obedient  to  the  commands  of  the  central  will,  pains 
have  also  been  taken  not  to  compress  the  cerebral 
structure,  which  is  the  seat  of  their  growth,  but  to 
cultivate  it,  and  strengthen  it  by  proper  exercise.  For 
upon  the  soundness  and  expansion  of  this  marvellous 
organ  much  of  the  success  of  mental  training  depends. 
The  broad,  large,  roomy  brain,  well  balanced  and 
counterpoised,  is  capable  of  taking  in  many  ideas,  and 
in  weighing,  comparing,  and  inwardly  digesting  them. 
The  result  in  the  pupil  is  the  ability  to  form  wise  con- 
clusions, solid  arguments,  and  generous  convictions.  A 
strong  intellect,  nourished  in  the  convolutions  of  a 
healthful  brain,  and  favored  with  good  powers  of  acqui- 
sition, and  liberty  to  grow  in  free  luxuriance,  sends  its 
roots  into  the  various  soils,  and  draws  from  them  the 
constituents  of  wholesome  saps. 

■  On  the  re-assembling  of  the  school  in  September,  both 
pupils  and  teachers  entered  on  their  duties  with  renewed 
zeal,  and  the  opening  of  the  year  seems  to  be  very 
auspicious. 

Object  Teaching. 

"  Novns  reriim  nnscitur  ordo." 

A  marked  change  has  taken  place  in  our  day  in  all 
the  methods,  not  only  of  thought,  but  of  instruction. 
The  philosopher  turns  from  the  study  to  the  laboratory. 
The  natural  sciences  are  raised  to  a  post  of  dignity 
which  they  have  never  before  held  in  the  learned 
world.  In  the  schoolroom  the  perfect  cast  or  statue 
takes  the  place  of  the   only  half-suggestive  wood-cut. 


58  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  flat-faced  wall-map  swells  into  the  highly  embossed 
chart  or  globe.  There  is  a  strong  re-action  against 
mere  hearsay  knowledge,  a  wish  to  touch  and  handle 
objects  of  interest,  instead  of  merely  reading  about 
and  describing  them.  With  this  change  in  the  study 
and  the  schoolroom,  many  of  the  elements  of  mere  rou- 
tine and  red  tape  have  been  cast  aside.  The  duties 
of  a  teacher  are  now  almost  professional,  when  their 
present  is  compared  with  their  past  extent.  It  no  longer 
suffices  for  the  instructor  to  read  his  explanations  from 
a  book  alone.  He  must  give  them  from  his  own 
thoughts,  and  must  therefore  be  thoroughly  prepared 
for  the  lesson  beforehand.  He  must  also  be  more  or 
less  of  a  scientist,  if  he  wishes  to  keep  pace  with  the 
spirit  of  the  day. 

The  re-action  in  favor  of  objective  teaching,  which  has 
come  in  with  the  tendency  towards  greater  thoroughness 
in  all  branches,  may  no  doubt  be  pushed  too  far ;  yet 
there  can  be  no  question  that  the  present  movement  is 
one  which  can  be  utilized  to  a  very  great  extent  in  the 
instruction  and  training  of  the  blind. 

Many  of  the  appliances  and  a  great  part  of  the  appa- 
ratus manufactured  for  ordinary  school  uses  at  the  pres- 
ent day  are  of  a  nature  equally  well  adapted  for  the 
instruction  and  training  of  our  pupils ;  and  the  education 
of  the  seeing,  as  it  advances,  carries  that  of  the  blind 
in  its  train.  The  conceptions  of  the  mind  on  material 
subjects,  imaided  by  any  outward  sense,  are  as  vague  in 
those  who  can  see  as  in  the  sightless ;  and  the  little  blind 
girl  who  said  that  a  hen  had  three  legs  is  hardly  more 
an  object  of  pity  than  the  child  at  the  Isle  of  Shoals 
who  "  had  never  seen  a  horse,  but  had  once  beheld  a 
picture  of  one." 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  59 

So  prone  is  the  mind  to  create  images,  whether  true 
or  false,  that  we  often  find  ourselves  surprised  or  almost 
shocked,  on  seeing  a  new  scene  or  person  for  the  first 
time,  to  discover  that  the  reality  has  dared  to  difi'er  from 
the  image  preconceived  in  our  fancy.  The  mind  of 
blind  persons  is  equally  quick  in  forming  images  of  this 
sort,  even  as  we  ourselves  see  quite  as  lively  shapes 
when  our  eyes  are  closed  in  sleep  as  at  noonday.  Even 
Laura  Bridgman  exercises  this  universal  human  privi- 
lege. Her  description,  given  to  Professor  Hall,  of  the 
dream  in  which  she  thought  she  saw  God,  was  very 
touching  and  beautiful. 

INow  comes  the  wonderful  plastic  skill  of  the  present 
era  of  objective  development,  and  furnishes  to  the  eyes 
of  the  seeing  and  the  fingers  of  the  Wind  the  shapes 
for  which  they  have  so  long  groped  in  darkness  and 
doubt. 

Perfect  imitations  of  the  human  frame,  whole  and  in 
parts,  life-size  and  diminished,  manikins  and  dissected 
models,  are  made  with  exquisite  fidelity  to  nature,  and 
can  be  purchased  at  comparatively  moderate  rates  con- 
sidering their  really  inestimable  value.  Animals  and 
plants  are  also  brought  within  the  pupils'  ken  in  all 
their  beauty  and  completeness.  The  old  saying,  "  See- 
ing is  believing,"  is  powerfully  exemplified  in  the  objec- 
tive teaching  of  the  present  day.  The  taxidermist's 
art,  too,  can  be  called  to  the  teacher's  aid ;  and  this  has 
made  great  strides  since  what  are  familiarly  called  "  old 
times,"  or  that  vaguely  defined  period  when  every  one 
who  is  now  grown  up  was  a  little  child.  Besides  these 
most  interesting  guides  to  the  studies  of  physiology, 
zoology,  and  botany,  the  gate  of  the  mineral  kingdom 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

has  been  thrown  mnch  wider  open  than  of  old,  and 
imitations  of  all  forms  of  crystals  and  precious  stones 
are  now  given  to  the  market  in  the  greatest  possible  * 
beauty  and  perfection. 

Armed  with  these  instrumentalities,  the  teacher  of 
to-day  leads  his  young  charges  on  board  a  full-rigged 
ship  fairly  equipped  at  all  points  for  the  voyage  in  pur- 
suit of  learning,  where  once  he  had  only  a  small  raft 
on  which  to  embark  with  them  on  the  wide  ocean  of 
knowledge.  If  he  does  not  reach  far-distant  ports,  and 
bring  home  a  rich  freight  of  fact  and  acquisition,  the 
fault  is  with  him,  and  not  with  the  material  which  he 
has  to  -s^ork  with.  Indeed,  art  so  vies  with  nature  at 
the  present  day,  that  it  might  almost  seem  necessary  for 
the  latter  to  invent  new  forms,  lest  her  subtle  sister 
exhaust    all   her  treasures,  and   find   nothing  more  to 

imitate. 

Collection  of  Tangible  Objects. 

During  the  past  year  the  work  of  increasing  our 
collections  of  models,  specimens,  and  tangible  objects  of 
various  kinds,  has  been  carried  on  persistently,  and  our 
shelves  have  been  enriched  by  many  new  additions. 
The  most  valuable  of  these  consist  in  a  complete  set  of 
the  Schaufuss  anatomical  preparations  (including  birds, 
fishes,  and  silkworms),  and  in  a  large  collection  of 
minerals,  rocks,  fossils,  specimens  of  woods,  dried  plants, 
seeds,  stuffed  animals,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  eggs,  nests, 
shells,  crustaceans,  sponges,  corals,  star-fishes,  crystal 
imitations  of  the  most  celebrated  diamonds  and  of  other 
precious  stones,  maps  in  relief  of  some  of  the  volcanoes, 
and  many  other  articles  of  great  usefulness.  The  total 
number  of  tangible  objects   procured  during  the  past 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  61 

year  is  not  far  from  seven  hundred  and  fifty,  and  almost 
every  branch  of  natural  history  is  represented  in  them. 
But,  with  all  these  additions,  our  collections  are  far  from 
being  complete.  They  are  mere  nuclei.  More  are 
absolutely  needed.  The  changes  which  have  been 
gradually  introduced  into  our  methods  of  instruction 
render  theii-  increase  both  in  numbers  and  varieties 
imperative ;  and  it  is  earnestly  hoped  that  the  friends 
of  the  blind  will  interest  themselves  in  this  matter,  and 
give  their  active  co-operation  in  carrying  it  out. 

A  great  part  of  the  above-named  articles  were  pur- 
chased from  Dr.  W.  L.  Schaufuss  of  Germany;  and  I 
heartily  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  testify  to  the 
reasonableness  of  his  charges,  and  to  the  fairness  and 
honesty  with  which  the  business  of  his  extensive  estab- 
lishment near  Dresden,  the  Museum  of  Ludwig  Salvator, 
is  conducted. 

Library. 

A  good  collection  of  well-chosen  books  is  an  important 
adjunct  to  any  school.  It  supplements  the  course  of 
instruction,  and  renders  valuable  assistance  in  carrying 
on  the  work  of  education  successfully.  It  is  a  sort  of 
intellectual  gymnasium  which  helps  to  build  up  the 
mental  structure.  It  tends  to  create  a  literary  atmos- 
phere, and  to  encourage  both  teachers  and  pupils  to 
carry  their  researches  and  pursuits  for  information 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  text-books.  In  short,  it  really 
is  what  the  Greeks  call  it,  "  a  sanatory  of  the  soul,"  — 

Although  the  necessity  for  obtaining  various  kinds  of 
apparatus  was  so  great  as  to  require  immediate  atten- 
tion, the  claims  of  the  library  have  not  been  overlooked. 


62  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

On  the  contrary,  they  have  been  promptly  attended  to, 
and  the  facilities  for  the  widest  possible  diffusion  of 
knowledge  among  the  members  of  our  school  have  been 
greatly  increased.  The  total  number  of  volumes  in  our 
library  is  4,590.  Of  these,  294  in  raised  characters  and 
■453  in  ordinary  print  have  been  procured  during  the 
past  year.  The  latter  are  mostly  either  books  of  ref- 
erence or  standard  works  on  history,  philosophy,  travel, 
and  literature,  both  English  and  foreign.  All  are  sub- 
stantially, and,  to  a  very  great  extent,  uniformly,  bound. 
As  soon  as  the  room  appro|)riated  for  a  library  in  the 
new  building  in  the  girls'  department  is  finished,  the 
books,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  our  collections,  will  be 
properly  arranged,  classified,  numbered,  and  catalogued 
by  the  librarian,  under  Avhose  charge  they  have  been 
placed,  and  who  is  held  responsible  for  their  careful  use 
and  preservation. 

Kindergarten. 

The  system  of  Froebel,  which  has  worked  such  wide- 
spread benefit  in  Germany,  and  is  beginning  to  make  its 
good  influence  felt  in  this  country  also,  is  in  many  of 
its  departments  admirably  suited  for  the  iustruction  of 
little  blind  children.  This  system  may  be  said  to  offer 
the  A  B  C  of  objective  teaching.  The  industrial  fea- 
tures of  the  plan,  the  weaving,  block-building,  and  even 
the  embroidery  upon  cardboard,  have  been  taught  to 
our  younger  pupils  with  excellent  effect.  In  fact,  the 
whole  system,  with  the  exception  of  the  part  relating  to 
colors,  has  been  introduced  into  our  school,  and  has 
proved  exceedingly  beneficial.  Of  course  the  work 
accomplished   has  no  intrinsic  value ;    but  the  manual 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  —  No.  27.  6B 

skill  acquired  is  very  considerable,  and  can  be  turned  to 
good  account  in  more  serious  pursuits  later.  Every 
thing  which  tends  to  strengthen  in  the  minds  of  blind 
children  the  concej)tion  of  outward  forms  is  of  the 
highest  importance  to  them,  and  the  kindergarten  plan 
contains  elements  which  minister  very  largely  to  this 
necessity.  The  simple  modelling  in  clay,  the  rounding 
of'  little  balls,  apples,  dumb-bells,  and  the  like,  is  ex- 
tremely useful  in  developing  the  sense  and  perception  of 
shape,  both  in  seeing  and  blind  children.  The  mathe- 
matical faculty  is  quickened  by  the  use  and  handling  of 
the  cubes  and  other  blocks,  and  the  games  and  exercises 
afford  excellent  physical  training,  besides  promoting 
pleasure  and  good  spirits.  In  brief,  the  kindergarten 
system  is  a  most  useful  and  beneficent  factor  in  the  edu- 
cation of  children,  since  it  trains  the  body  at  the  same 
time  that  it  unfolds  the  mind,  teaching  them  the  use  of 
hand  as  well  as  brain,  —  a  feature,  the  salutary  effects 
of  which  in  after  life  are  universally  acknowledged. 
This  system  is  a  great  advance,  in  point  of  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  training  which  it  imparts,  even  upon  object- 
teaching  ;  since,  while  the  latter  strengthens  the  percep- 
tive faculties,  the  former  fosters  also  the  growth  of  the 
creative  ones,  to  which  the  perceptive  are  but  as  ser- 
vants or  harbingers  ploughing  the  mental  soil  for  a 
future  harvest  of  activity.  The  introduction  of  the 
kindergarten  in  our  primary  classes  proves  to  be  as 
important  an  era  in  the  development  and  progress  of 
education  for  the  blind  as  it  has  in  schools  for  the 
seeing.  It  might  only  be  wished  that  the  means  could 
be  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a  special  depart- 
ment for  sightless  little  children  between  the  ages  of 


64  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

five  and  nine,  who  are  now  either  suffering  under  the 
rust  of  neglect  in  the  corner  of  ill-ventilated  kitchens  or 
other  comfortless  apartments,  or  living  in  such  isolation 
from  the  rest  of  the  w^orld  as  to  not  have  any  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  acquainted  with  any  of  their  more 
fortunate  little  fellow-creatures  who  can  see  and  move 
about  and  play. 

Our  kindergarten  department  is  indirectly  indebted 
to  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Shaw,  whose  munificence  in 
providing  means  for  spreading  the  system  and  making- 
happy  hundreds  of  indigent  children  has  been  so  widely 
felt  in  this  community,  since  the  principal  teacher,  Mrs. 
E.  Bethmann,  employed  in  the  South-Boston  district  by 
that  beneficent  lady,  has  kindly  volunteered  to  assist  us 
in  setting  the  little  classes  into  working  order,  and  to 
give  the  necessary  directions  for  then-  proper  training. 

Music  Department. 

"  Music,  soft  charm  of  heaven  and  earth  ! 
Whence  didst  thou  borrow  tby  auspicious  birth? 
Or  art  tliou  of  eternal  date, 
Sire  to  thyself,  thyself  as  old  as  fate?  "  — Edmund  Smith. 

The  importance  and  necessary  prominence  of  music 
as  a  prime  factor  of  the  education  of  the  blind  has 
too  often  been  dwelt  upon  in  these  reports,  and  is  too 
widely  known  to  need  special  amplification  here.  It 
is  to  them  what  Luther  called  it,  "  a  shield  in  combat 
and  adversity,  a  friend  and  companion  in  moments  of 
joy,  a  comforter  and  refuge  in  the  hours  of  despond- 
ency and  solitude."  It  is  their  guide  to  higher  regions 
of  thought  and  activity  long  after  they  have  ceased  to 
need  the  kind  hand  of  friendship  to  lead  them  along 


1880.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT— No.  27.  65 

life's  narrow  paths.  By  it  they  earn  not  only  their 
bread,  but  that  mental  nourishment,  the  need  of  which 
is  so  much  higher  than  that  of  mere  material  sus- 
tenance. It  is  their  passport  into  the  realms  of  art, 
and  the  key  to  noble  and  beautiful  achievements.  Nor 
is  this  all.  Higher  than  the  mere  sense  of  improvement 
in  ourselves,  of  accomplishment  and  achievement,  is  the 
consciousness  of  usefulness  to  others,  of  being  a  helping 
force  in  this  busy  world.  This  gives  the  widest  scope 
to  all  the  faculties,  enabling  them  to  grow  and  blossom 
to  the  fullest  and  fairest  extent,  and  from  this  blessing 
the  blind  are  far  from  being  excluded.  Their  useful- 
ness as  teachers  in  spreading  a  thorough  knowledge 
and  a  love  of  the  study  of  music  is  generally  acknowl- 
edged. 

But,  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to  continue  to 
occupy  an  area  of  fertile  soil  in  this  field  of  usefulness, 
and  reap  a  rich  harvest  on  it,  they  require  something 
more  than  mere  mechanical  attainments,  or  even 
acknowledged  proficiency  in  the  art  of  music  per  se. 
They  need  an  enlightened  intellect,  a  broad  purpose, 
and  a  strong  will.  In  other  words,  their  professional 
skill  must  be  accompanied  and  sustained  by  a  liberal 
general  culture. 

The  mental  discipline  which  real  education  insures 
is  of  inestimable  advantage  to  those  who  intend  follow- 
ing music  as  a  profession.  It  gives  to  them  that 
mental  grasp,  that  grip,  that  fii'm  hold  of  a  subject, 
that  power  of  concentration,  and  that  energy  of  purpose, 
which  are  indispensable  for  success  in  the  domain  of 
art.  The  man  of  culture  is  accustomed  to  hard  think- 
ing, close  reasoning,  clear  definition,  and  the  tracing 


66  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

out  of  subtle  distinctions.  He  carries  his  habits  of 
mind  into  his  work.  His  music  will  bear  the  unmis- 
takable impress  of  his  intellectual  training.  Unaided 
genius  is  powerless,  and  sinks  baffled  if  it  cannot  fall 
back  upon  those  mental  qualities  which  only  a  thorough 
education  can  bring  to  perfection.  The  great  masters 
of  music  were  undoubtedly  all  men  of  genius  ;  but 
they  were  more  than  this.  They  were  cultured  men, 
trained  thinkers,  logical  reasoners,  systematic  worl^ers. 
Their  works  prove  this  beyond  controversy. 

In  consideration  of  these  facts,  our  system  of  educa- 
tion is  so  arranged  that  instruction  in  music,  which  is 
one  of  its  prime  constituents,  is  blended  in  just  propor- 
tion with  the  graces  of  a  thorough  mental  culture, 
and  with  the  substantial  advantages  of  a  systematic 
physical  training.  It  is  from  the  harmony  of  this  broad 
union,  and  not  from  the  narrowness  of  any  isolated  and 
one-sided  attainments,  that  the  blind  may  confidently 
expect  to  derive  the  means  and  strength  necessary  to 
their  career. 

The  music  department  of  the  institution  has  received, 
during  the  past  year,  all  the  attention  which  its  impor- 
tance requires,  and  its  present  condition  is  very  credit- 
able to  those  by  whom  its  work  is  carried  on. 

The  number  of  pupils  who  have  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  this  department  during  the  last  twelve  months 
was  eighty-two.  Of  these,  seventy  received  instruction 
on  the  piano-forte,  thirty-two  in  harmony,  two  in  coun- 
terpoint and  composition,  five  on  the  organ,  four  on  the 
flute,  five  on  the  clarinet,  five  on  the  cornet,  thirteen 
on  other  brass  instruments,  fifty-seven  belonged  to  the 
singing-classes,  and  thirty-four  took  lessons  in  vocal 
music  separately. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  67 

An  exact  record  of  the  standing  of  each  individual 
case,  carefully  kept  by  the  teachers,  shows  the  progress 
of  the  pupils  to  have  been  very  satisfactory.  Those 
among  them,  who  are  endowed  with  special  talent,  and 
who  possess  such  general  mental  ability  as  is  essential 
for  the  attainment  of  excellence  in  any  art,  advance 
rapidly.  But  there  are  some  who  prove,  after  a  patient 
and  fair  trial,  utterly  devoid  of  natural  aptitude  for 
music.  These  are  required  to  discontinue  their  music 
lessons,  and  to  devote  their  time  out  of  school-hours  to 
the  acquisition  of  some  useful  trade,  or  to  some  other 
manual  occupation. 

Two  of  the  scholars  who  graduated  from  the  music 
department  at  the  close  of  the  last  t€rm  —  Joseph  R. 
Lucier  of  Worcester,  and  William  H.  Wade  of  Law- 
rence —  were  specially  gifted,  and  manifested  great  per- 
severance and  application  in  the  pursuit  of  their  studies. 
The  former,  while  possessing  a  fair  knowledge  of 
several  branches  of  music,  such  as  the  piano-forte, 
harmony,  and  singing,  takes  rank  among  the  best 
cornet  soloists,  and  will,  no  doubt,  earn  a  good  living  by 
playing  and  teaching  this  instrument.  The  latter  has 
devoted  his  time  principally  to  the  organ  and  piano- 
forte. His  part  in  the  music  of  the  graduating  exer- 
cises was  the  great  fugue  in  G  minor  by  Bach,  and 
number  two  of  Liszt's  rhapsodies,  both  of  which  were 
executed  with  brilliancy  and  good ,  taste.  Ordinarily 
young  men  of  Wade's  attainments  would  enter  upon 
their  professional  career,  and  commence  teaching ;  but 
he  is  preparing  to  go  to  Germany  for  the  purpose  of 
continuing  his  studies  for  several  years. 

During   the   past  year  three   new  piano-fortes   have 


68  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

been  added  to  our  collection  of  musical  instruments,  and 
all  the  old  ones  have  been  kept  in  good  working  order. 

The  pupils  are  generally  provided  with  sufficient 
means  for  regular  practice,  as  well  as  with  ample 
opportunities  for  a  thorough  drill  in  the  principles 
upon  which  the  science  of  music  rests.  This  is  a  very 
essential  part  of  their  professional  training.  The 
grammar  of  music  affords  an  invaluable  aid  in  the 
acquisition  of  the  power  of  interpreting  the  master- 
pieces of  art  correctly  and  intelligibly.  Mechanical 
skill  kept  up  by  incessant  labor  is  good  as  far  as  it 
goes,  but  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  science  of 
music  enhances  its  value  incalculably. 

Music  makes  large  claims  upon  its  devotees,  and  no 
one  can  succeed  in  it  without  patient  submission  to  a 
discipline  which  is  far  from  being  attractive  or  enter- 
taining. Most  of  our  pupils  show  a  keen  appreciation 
of  the  uncommon  facilities  afforded  by  the  institution 
for  a  thorough  study  of  this  art,  and  many  among  them 
endeavor  by  steady  application  and  unflagging  industry 
to  turn  them,  to  the  greatest  possible  advantage.  Praise 
and  honor  belong  to  all  who  succeed  in  surmounting 
the  obstacles  which  they  find  in  the  way,  and  reaching 
the  regions  of  independence  and  usefulness ;  but  those 
who  have  to  scale  the  height  of  Helicon  with  hard 
labor  and  measured  step  deserve  more  admhation  than 
those  who  fly  to  its  lofty  summits  on  the  wings  of 
natural  talent.     As  Pope  expresses  it,  — 

"Though  the  same  sun,  "R'ith  all-diffusive  raj's, 
Blush  in  the  rose  and  in  the  diamond  blaze, 
We  prize  the  stronger  effort  of  his  power, 
And  justly  set  the  gem  above  the  flower." 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  69 

But  however  extensive  may  be  the  internal  advan- 
tages  afforded   by  the   institution   for  the   pm-pose  of 
making  thorough  musicians  and  good  teachers  of  those 
of  its  beneficiaries  who  possess  the  requisite  talent  and 
ability,  they  cannot  be  enthely  complete  by  themselves. 
External  opportunities  for  the   cidtivation  and  refine- 
ment of  the  musical  taste  are  indispensable.     To  enable 
the  pupils  to  become  suitably  familiar  with  the  larger 
works  of  the  classical  school,  and  to  learn  to  appreciate 
and  enjoy  such  noble   compositions   as  Bach's  fugues, 
Handel's   oratorios,    Haydn's    symphonies,   Beethoven's 
sonatas,  Chopin's  Polonaises,  and  Liszt's  rhapsodies,  is 
not  a  simple  matter,  nor  is  it  so  easy  a  task  as  to  be 
accomplished    in    the    teaching    or    practising    room. 
Aside  from  a  full  development  of  the  musical  sensibility 
and  of  the  intellectual  powers,  is  required  that  Eesthetic 
culture,    which    can   be    derived "  solely   from    constant 
attendance  upon  concerts   and  other  musical  perform- 
ances, in  which  the  works   of  the  greater  and  lesser 
masters  are  interpreted  by  eminent  artists.     Thanks  to 
the  officers  and  members  of  the  best  musical  societies  of 
Boston,  to  the  proprietors   of  theatres,   the   managers 
of  public  entertainments,  and  also  to  a  long  chain  of 
eminent   musicians    in   our   city,  —  the   names    of    all 
of  whom  will   be   hereafter  mentioned  in  the  list  of 
acknowledgments,  —  oiu*  scholars  have  continued  to  be 
generously   permitted   to    attend    the    finest    concerts, 
rehearsals,  operas,  oratorios,  and  the  like,  and  have  also 
been  favored  with  many  brilliant,  artistic  performances 
given  in  our  hall.     There  is  often  a  great  deal  of  latent 
musical    ability   in    young    people,    and    opj)ortunities 
like  these  serve   as  the  touchstone  which  occasionally 
brings  a  hidden  talent  to  the  surface. 


70  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Tuning  Department. 

This  department  continues  to  perform  its  important 
part  in  the  work  of  training  our  pupils  for  their  share 
in  the  remunerative  employments  of  life ;  and  the 
uncommon  advantages  offered  here  for  a  thorough  study 
of  the  art  of  tuning,  both  in  theory  and  practice,  have 
not  suffered  the  least  relaxation  during  the  past  year. 
On  the  contrary,  pains  have  been  taken  to  improve 
them  still  further,  and  to  render  them  as  efficient  as 
possible,  and  productive  of  the  highest  good  to  the  blind 
of  New  England. 

Eight  pupils  have  graduated  from  the  tuning  depart- 
ment during  the  past  year,  and  four  have  been  added  to 
the  ranks  of  those  who  are  receiving  instruction  in  it. 
Most  of  those  whose  connection  with  the  school  ceased 
at  the  close  of  the  last  term  were  well  qualified  to 
enter  the  practical  walks  of  life  with  hope  and  courage ; 
for  in  the  thoroughness  and  efficiency  of  their  training 
they  have  the  elements,  as  well  as  the  promise,  of  good 
success. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  be  able  to  report  that  the  work 
of  our  tuners  has  continued  to  give  entire  satisfaction  to 
our  customers ;  and  the  steady  increase  of  patronage 
which  has  been  extended  to  them  by  some  of  the  most 
intelligent  families  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring 
towns  indicates  that  the  popular  prejudice  against  the 
ability  and  skill  of  the  blind  to  take  good  care  of 
musical  instruments  and  keep  them  in  excellent  work- 
ing condition  is  slowly  but  surely  dying  away. 

That  our  pupils,  receiving  such  thorough  training 
as  they  do  in  this  institution,  become  efficient  tuners  of 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  71 

piano-fortes,  and  that  their  infirmity  is  no  obstacle 
whatever  to  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  profession,  has 
been  repeatedly  stated  in  these  reports,  and  can  be 
easily  shown  by  a  brief  explanation  of  the  nature  of 
their  art. 

A  tuner  of  piano-fortes  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
form,  the  color,  or  the  carvings  of  the  legs  of  an  instru- 
ment.    His  work  is  principally  and  mainly  confined  to 
the   regulation  of  the   musical    tones   produced    by  it. 
These  sounds  belong  exclusively  to  the  domain  of  hear- 
ing, and  not  to  that  of  sight,  or  of  any  other  sense. 
Tones  are  the  concomitants  in  the  stimulation  of  those 
fibres  which  have  their  terminals  in  the  cochlea  of  the 
ear.     They  are    excited  by  the   regular    and   periodic 
vibrations  of  certain  definite  frequencies.     Some  of  the 
fibres  vibrate  in  sympathy  with  the  undulations  of  slow 
periods,  and   others  with   those  of   rapid   ones.      The 
former  produce  low,  and  the  latter  high,  tones.     The 
pitch,  therefore,  depends  upon  the    particular  fibre  of 
the  cochlea  which  has  been  affected. 

It  is  evident  from  this  brief  explanation  'that  it  is  not 
mechanics  which  have  full  sway,  or  even  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  art  of  tuning,  but  the  cultivation 
of  the  sense  of  hearing,  coupled  with  the  science  of 
acoustics,  —  that  branch  of  physics  which  treats  of  the 
nature  of  sound  and  the  laws  of  its  production  and 
propagation. 

Now  the  blind,  in  consequence  of  their  infirmity, 
begin  early  to  concentrate  their  attention  upon  the 
impressions  received  through  the  auditory  nerves. 
They  constantly  employ  the  ear  for  various  purposes 
for  which  seeing  persons  use   the    eyes,  and   they  let 


72  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

it  rest  only  when  they  are  asleep.  While  in  the  in- 
stitution they  live  and  move  in  an  atmosphere  which 
resounds  with  musical  tones.  By  this  incessant  exercise 
their  sense  of  hearing  becomes  so  improved,  and  ac- 
quires such  an  acuteness  and  nicety,  that  the  relations 
of  sounds,  imperceptible  to  ordinary  listeners,  are  ap- 
parent to  them.  In  addition  to  this,  a  thorough  study 
of  physics  constitutes  an  integral  part  of  our  system  of 
instruction.  Hence,  all  other  things  being  equal,  a 
sightless  person,  whose  power  and  accuracy  in  dis- 
tinguishing the  pitch  and  quality  of  sounds  is  truly 
astonishing,  makes  a  better  tuner  of  piano-fortes  than 
a  seeing  one. 

This  assertion  does  not  rest  upon  mere  a  priori 
reasoning.  It  has  been  clearly  demonstrated  by  an 
array  of  facts  gathered  from  the  field  of  experience 
and  practice,  and  it  is  fii'mly  sustained  by  the  verdict 
of  distinguished  artists  and  prominent  music-teachers, 
who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  a  personal 
knowledge  of  the  work  of  our  tuners,  and  by  the  readi- 
ness with  which  the  wise  and  intelligent  of  the  com- 
munity employ  them.  In  addition  to  the  many  pre- 
viously published  testimonials  bearing  upon  this  matter, 
there  are  three  of  a  recent  date,  —  one  from  the  com- 
mittee on  supplies  of  the  school  board  of  the  city  of 
Boston,  one  from  the  world-renowned  firm  of  Messrs. 
Steinway  &  Sons  of  New  York,  and  a  thkd  from  Messrs. 
William  Bourne  &  Son,  manufacturers  of  piano-fortes  in 
this  city. 

The  work  of  our  tuners  in  taking  care  of  the  piano- 
fortes used  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  and  keeping 
them  in  good  repair,  has  been  so  well  and  conscientiously 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  73 

done  that  the  contract  was  again  renewed  for  another 
year ;  and  the  committee  on  supplies  have  touched  upon 
the  subject  in  their  last  annual  report,  in  the  following 
words  :  — 

"  The  tuning  of  pianos  in  the  public  schools  has  been 
performed  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner  during  the  last 
three  years  by  the  Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind ;  and 
a  new  contract  for  one  year,  from  May  1,  1880,  has  been 
made  with  that  institution,  on  the  same  terms  as  for 
preceding  years." 

This  statement,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  re- 
newal of  the  contract  was  made  with  uncommon 
unanimity  and  promptness,  does  great  honor  to  the 
sense  of  justice  and  fairness  of  the  members  of  the 
school  board,  and  is  very  gratifying  to  our  tuners. 

Messrs.  Steinway  &  Sons  have  for  a  long  time  em- 
ployed a  blind  man  as  head-tuner  of  theu'  great  estab- 
lishment in  New  York ;  and,  in  reply  to  a  letter  which 
I  addressed  to  them,  asking  for  information  with  regard 
to  his  success,  they  speak  as  follows :  — 

New  York,  Jan.  9,  1880. 
M.  Anagnos,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir,  —  In  answer  to  ^'our  letter  of  the  29th  ult.,  we  desire 
to  inform  you  that  one  of  our  principal  tuners  is  a  blind  man 
named  Armin  Schotte. 

This  gentleman  tunes  the  concert  grand  pianos  for  the  concerts 
at  Steinway  Hall,  &c.,  which  work  is  considered  the  highest 
achievement  in  the  art  of  tuning.  Mr.  Schotte' s  tuning  is  simply 
perfect,  not  only  for  its  purity,  but  in  his  skill  of  so  setting  the 
tuning-pins  that  the  piano  can  endure  the  largest  amount  of  heavy 
playing  without  being  put  out  of  tune. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

STEINWAY   &   SONS. 

10 


74  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Messrs.  William  Bourne  &  Son  of  Boston  have  also 
employed  one  of  the  graduates  of  this  institution,  Mr. 
Joseph  H.  Wood,  as  principal  tuner  for  seventeen 
years ;  and  their  views  on  his  work  and  on  the  fitness 
of  the  blind  in  general  to  deal  with  musical  instru- 
ments are  embodied  in  the  following  letter :  — 

Boston,  Sept.  27,  18S0. 

Dear  Sir,  —  We  would  say  in  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  25th 
inst.,  that  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Wood  has  been  in  our  employ  as  prin- 
cipal tuner  since  the  j-ear  1863.  It  gives  us  the  greatest  pleas- 
ure to  take  this  opportunity  of  testifying  to  the  efficient  and 
excellent  service  rendered  by  him  to  our  establishment,  and  to 
say  that  his  able  and  skilful  workmanship  has  always  been  much 
prized  by  us.  We  see  no  reason  why  blindness  should  be  a 
drawback  in  the  tuner's  profession.  On  the  contrar}',  we  have 
been  convinced  by  long  observation  that  persons  deprived  of 
sight  succeed  remarkably  well  in  this  calling.  Their  ear  is 
much  more  delicate  than  that  of  ordinary  tuners,  and  the  objec- 
tion made  bj^  some  people  that  they  corrode  the  strings  bj^ 
handling  them  is  wholh'  unfounded.  We  never  knew  Mr.  Wood 
to  touch  the  strings  while  he  was  tuning  a  piano.  Many  years 
of  experience  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  piano-fortes  has 
shown  us  that  the  judgment  of  the  blind  in  selecting  these 
instruments  for  the  trade  is  of  the  first  order. 

This  is  our  candid  opinion  on  Mr.  Wood's  work,  and  on  the 

efficiency  and    ability  of  the    blind    as    tuners.     If  it  can  be    of 

any  service   in  the   promotion  of  their  cause,  you  are  at  libert}' 

to  use  it  in  any  way  that  you  may  see  fit. 

Yours  trul}', 

WILLIAM   BOURNE   &   SON. 
Mr.  M.  Anagnos, 

Director  Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston,  Mass. 

These  testimonials  speak  sufficiently  for  themselves. 
They  need  no  comments ;  but  they  compel  the  utter- 
ance   of  an    earnest   hope   that  the  noble  example  of 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  75 

the  above  two  firms  may  soon  be  followed  by  other 
piano-makers  of  high  standing  and  influence,  and  that 
the  reasonable  claims  of  our  tuners  to  a  fair  share  of 
work  may  be  favored  with  more  justice  and  less  preju- 
dice in  the  future  than  they  have  received  heretofore. 

One  of  the  essays  which  were  included  in  the 
programme  of  our  closing  exercises  treated  in  a 
simple  and  clear  manner  of  sound,  of  the  construction 
of  the  piano-forte,  and  of  the  carefulness  of  instruc- 
tion necessary  to  qualify  a  tuner  of  this  instrument. 
This  paper  was  written  by  a  member  of  the  gradu- 
ating class,  George  G.  Goldthwait  of  Lynn,  who  has 
devoted  a  large  part  of  his  time  to  the  tuning  depart- 
ment ;  and,  as  it  gives  a  fairer  illustration  of  the  thor- 
oughness and  comprehensiveness  of  the  training  of  our 
scholars  than  any  words  of  mine  can  convey,  I  copy  it 
herewith  in  toto  :  — 

"THE   PIANO-FORTE   AND   PIANO-FORTE   TUNING. 

"  The  five  senses  possessed  b}'  man  enable  him  to  perceive 
whatever  passes  around  him,  and  not  the  least  in  value  is  that 
knowledge  received  through  the  sense  of  hearing. 

"  According  to  the  theor}-  now  universally  accepted,  sound  is 
produced  by  vibrations.  If  these  vibrations  exceed  38,000  per 
second,  consciousness  of  sound  ceases  because  the  ear  is  not 
capable  of  receiving  impressions  beyond  that  limit. 

"Musical  sounds  are  produced  by  vibrations  succeeding  each 
other  at  regular  intervals.  The  lowest  tone  is  produced  by  six- 
teen vibrations  in  a  second.  The  highest  tone  which  the  ear  is 
capable  of  receiving  is  the  result  of  six  thousand  A'ibrations  in 
the  same  time.     This  range  embraces  about  eight  octaves, 

"By  the  aid  of  music  man  expresses  his  thoughts  and  emo- 
tions more  clearly,  sometimes,  than  by  language.  Music  com- 
forts the  oppressed,  strengthens  the  weary,  cheers  the  sorrowing, 


76  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

nerves  the  soldier  on  to  battle  and  to  victor}',  and  gives  expres- 
sion to  the  loftiest  aspirations  of  the  soul.  Should  it  not  then 
be  cherished  and  cultivated  to  its  fullest  extent? 

"  Instruments  for  the  production  of  music  may  be  classed  under 
two  general  heads,  wind  and  stringed  instruments.  Your  atten- 
tion is  called  to  a  representative  of  the  latter  class. 

"  Instrumental  music  was  attempted  at  an  earl}'  date.  We  read 
of  David's  harp  and  the  shepherd's  flute  ;  but  long  before  that 
time,  back  in  geologic  ages,  we  find  rude  bone  flutes  among  the 
relics  left  behind  the  tertiary  man.  The  harp  is  formed  of  a 
sounding-board,  lengthwise  of  which  are  passed  stretched  strings. 
These  strings  differ  in  length  according  to  the  degree  of  pitch  to 
be  attained  b}-  each  note.  The  strings  are  attached  at  either 
end,  and  the  tension  is  changed  at  pleasure.  In  other  woi'ds,  it 
is  tuned  by  means  of  screws  or  pegs.  Upon  the  principle  in- 
volved in  the  construction  of  the  harp  is  built  our  modern 
piano-forte.  The  immediate  forerunners  of  the  piano  were  the 
clarichord  and  the  harpsichord,  founded  upon  the  principle  of  the 
harp,  with  this  diff"ereuce, — the  strings,  instead  of  being  picked 
by  the  fingers,  were  plucked  b}'  metallic  quills,  which  were  forced 
against  them  by  jacks  that  were  raised  by  pressing  down  kej's. 
The  sounds  thus  produced  were  metallic,  and  not  altogether 
agreeable  as  musical  tones.  To  obviate  this  difficulty,  the  ham- 
mers were  made  of  wood,  and  covered  with  some  soft  material. 
The  tones  produced  when  the  wires  were  struck  by  such  ham- 
mers were  more  agreeable.  Since  that  time  innumerable  im- 
provements have  been  made,  resulting  in  the  modern  piano. 

"  The  invention  of  the  piano-forte  is  claimed  b}'  Italy,  France, 
Germany,  and  England.  There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that 
Bartolommeo  Christophori,  a  native  of  Padua,  was  the  inventor  of 
an  instrument  which  he  called  piano-forte,  because  he  could  play 
both  ^iano  (or  softly)  and  forte  (or  loud)  upon  it.  At  the  present 
day  these  instruments  are  made  in  three  distinct  forms,  —  square, 
grand,  and  upright.  In  the  first  two  the  strings  lie  in  a  hori- 
zontal position ;  in  the  latter  they  run  either  in  an  oblique  or 
perpendicular  direction. 

"  In  England  the  favorite  instrument   is   the  upright,  in  Ger- 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  77 

many  the  grand  takes  the  lead,  while  on  this  side  of  the  water 
the  square  has,  until  latelj',  been  the  most  popular. 

"  In  1822  Jonas  Chiekering,  the  founder  of  the  present  house 
of  Chiekering  &  Sons,  manufactured,  in  Boston,  his  first  piano. 
Soon  after  this  time  two  very  important  improvements,  which 
gave  a  great  impulse  to  the  rnanufacture  of  these  instruments 
in  America,  were  introduced.  These  improvements  were  the 
invention  of  the  iron  frame  and  the  introduction  of  the  over- 
strung scale.  Alpheus  Babcock,  in  1825,  received  the  first  pat- 
ent on  the  iron  frame,  and  in  1837  Chiekering  used  the  first 
frame  with  cross-bars  cast  entire. 

"  In  1856  the  house  of  Steinway  &  Sons  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  grand  pianos  on  the  European  plan,  with  this 
improvement  however, — they  introduced  the  iron  plate.  Sub- 
sequently the}'  made  many  improvements,  and  to-day  their 
instruments  are  celebrated  for  superior  qualit}'  and  volume  of 
tone,  and  capacity  of  standing  in  tune, 

"  The  materials  for  the  construction  of  the  piano  should  be 
of  the  best  qualit}'.  Porous  wood,  having  a  strong  fibre  and 
resonant  qualities,  is  best  adapted  for  the  sound-board.  The 
strings  should  be  of  the  best  steel  to  withstand  the  tension 
brought  upon  them.  It  requires  a  tension  of  two  hundred  pounds 
to  raise  the  highest  note  on  a  seven-octave  piano  to  the  re- 
quired pitch,  and  the  combined  strain  upon  a  full  concert  grand 
is  about  twelve  tons.  The  pitch  of  a  note  depends  upon  the 
length  of  the  string.  The  lowest  notes  upon  a  piano  would  re- 
quire a  string  sixteen  feet  long.  To  prevent  this  inconvenient 
length  in  the  instrument  the  strings  producing  the  lower  notes 
are  shortened,  and  wound  with  soft  wire  to  retard  the  vibrations. 

"  The  lowest  notes  upon  a  piano  vibrate  about  twenty-seven 
times,  and  the  highest  notes  four  thousand  times,  in  a  second,  giving 
a  range  of  seven  and  one-third  octaves.  The  rate  of  vibration  of 
a  musical  tone  is  ascertained  from  a  knowledge  of  the  number 
of  vibrations  of  an}'  note  of  the  scale  ;  for  example,  the  mid- 
dle C  on  the  piano  vibrates  two  hundred  and  fift3--six  times  per 
second,  which  number,  divided  by  f ,  the  fraction  of  D  in  the 
inverse  ratio,  will  give   the  number  of  vibrations  for  D  ;  or,  in 


78  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

other  words,  taking  C  as  a  standard,  and  dividing  it  b}-  the 
inverse  ratio  of  the  fraction  of  the  vibrations,  which  we  know, 
we  obtain  the  number  of  vibrations  for  any  note. 

"Difficulty  arises  in  tuning  from  the  fact  that  the  whole  tones 
in  the  scale  differ  in  size.  The  larger  intervals  are  called  major 
whole  tones:  the  smaller,  minor  whole  tones.  This  difference 
in  the  size  of  intervals  renders  it  impossible  to  tune  perfect  in- 
tervals in  all  the  scales  ;  for,  if  this  were  done,  a  part  of  them 
would  be  so  imperfect,  that  the  chords  would  be  oftensive  to  the 
ear.  Therefore,  to  make  the  scales  equally  agreeable,  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  temper  them,  or  divide  these  inequalities  in  different 
intervals  equally  between  all  the  twelve  keys.  To  secure  this 
result  it  is  necessary  to  flatten  all  the  fifths  and  sharpen  the 
fourths.     The  only  perfect  interval  on  the  piano  is  the  octave. 

"We  have  tried  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  fundamental 
principles  embodied  in  the  production  of  music  from  stringed 
instruments  as  it  has  been  developed  and  perfected  in  the  piano- 
forte, the  natural  outgrowth  of  all  other  stringed  instruments, 
and,  at  present,  the  favorite. 

"Its  construction,  care,  and  use  afford  occupation  to  a  large 
number  of  manufacturers,  tuners,  and  musicians.  Very  important 
among  these  is  the  tuner,  although,  perhaps,  he  receives  the  small- 
est share  of  credit. 

"  He  necessarily  precedes  the  pianist,  not  before  an  appreciative 
audience,  for  the  necessities  of  the  case  are  such  that  he  demands 
a  private  interview  with  the  instrument. 

"  If  the  piano-forte  is  the  most  popular  instrument,  and  the  de- 
mand for  it  is  steadily  increasing,  then  the  work  of  the  tuner  grows 
in  importance.  The  3'early  increasing  number  of  musicians  and 
critics  render  it  necessary  that  the  tuner  be  educated  and  skilled  in 
his  profession  ;  and  the  required  degree  of  skill  can  only  be  ac- 
quired by  careful  study  and  constant  practice,  for,  to  become  a 
tuner  of  any  note,  years  are  required  to  cultivate  the  ear  to  distin- 
guish readily  and  accurately  imperfect  unisons  and  intervals  :  nor 
is  this  all ;  the  hand  and  wrist  must  be  trained  to  control  the  ham- 
mer in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  the  solidity  and  permanency  of 
the  work,  this  being  of  the  first  importance,  as  upon  it  rests  the 
value  of  piano-forte  tuning." 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  79 

Among  the  legions  of  seeing  tuners  who  are  scattered 
all  over  the  country  there  are  no  doubt  some  who  may 
have  as  good  a  knowledge  of  the  philosophy  of  their 
art  as  the  writer  of  the  above  essay  seems  to  possess ; 
but  I  venture  to  say  that  their  number  is  not  very  large. 

Technical  Department. 

A  well-organized  and  properly  conducted  workshop, 
where  the  pupils  of  an  institution  can  repair  daily  at 
fixed  hours  and  be  employed  in  acquiring  skill  and 
facility  in  the  practice  of  the  mechanic  arts,  is  an  im- 
portant branch  of  a  complete  system  of  education.  It 
is  of  great  benefit  to  young  persons  in  more  ways  than 
one.  It  furnishes  them  with  occupation  out  of  school- 
hours,  and  provides  the  mental  faculties  with  a  gentle 
stimulus,  while  it  prevents  the  morbid  action  of  the 
brain,  which  too  much  study  is  apt  to  produce  in  chil- 
dren. It  rouses  the  senses  to  activity,  and  trains  the 
hands  to  dexterity  and  the  muscles  to  agility,  so  that 
they  may  respond  immediately  to  the  commands  of  the 
will.  It  induces  confidence  in  the  use  of  the  bodily 
powers,  and  independence  of  character.  Finally,  it 
off"ers  to  a  large  number  opportunities  for  the  profitable 
employment  of  their  time,  and  for  self-support. 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  this  institution  since  the 
date  of  its  foundation  to  pay  particular  attention  to  the 
industrial  training  of  the  blind.  One  of  the  two  in- 
structors whom  Dr.  Howe  engaged  in  Europe  in  1831 
was  a  master  of  handicraft.  The  so-called  "  develop- 
ing school,"  which  has  been  of  late  years  claimed  as  a 
new  discovery,  has  been  in  operation  here  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  and  its  main  features  form  a  very  essen- 


80  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

tial  part  of  our  system  of  education.  Thus,  while  our 
pupils  are  acquiring  such  knowledge  as  will,  fit  them  to 
be  enlightened  members  of  the  community,  it  is  deemed 
absolutely  necessary  that  they  should  also  learn  a  trade 
or  become  familiar  with  some  branch  of  manual  labor 
which  shall  prepare  them  for  usefulness  and  self-reli- 
ance in  after  life. 

To  compass  this  end,  a  commodious  shop  for  the  boys 
and  suitable  workrooms  for  the  girls  are  provided,  the 
services  of  skilful  and  efficient  teachers  are  secured, 
and  all  the  requisite  machines,  tools,  appliances,  and 
materials  are  furnished. 

I.  —  Workshop  for  the  Boys. 

The  affaii's  of  this  department  have  been  managed 
with  discretion  and  sound  judgment,  and  its  present 
state  is  very  satisfactory. 

The  usual  trades  of  manufacturing  brooms,  seating 
cane-bottomed  chairs,  upholstering  parlor  furniture,  and 
making  mattresses,  have  been  regularly  and  systemati- 
cally taught,  and  the  pupils  have  been  diligently  trained 
to  work  steadily,  and  to  acquire  an  ease  and  skill  in  the 
use  of  their  hands  which  will  be  a  practical  help  to 
them  at  every  step  of  their  lives. 

During  the  past  year,  as  in  previous  ones,  this  work- 
shop has  been  carried  on  at  a  comparatively  moderate 
expense.  It  was  never  designed  as  a  source  of  income 
to  the  institution,  and  never  will  be.  All  that  can  be 
reasonably  expected  is,  that  the  avails  of  the  labor  of 
the  learners  should  pay  the  cost  of  materials.  The 
advantages  are  looked  for  in  the  acquisition  of  manual 
dexterity  and  mechanical  aptitude,  and  still  more  in  the 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  81 

feeling  of  independence  and  habits  of  industry,  regu- 
larity, and  economy,  on  which  depeM  in  so  large  a 
measure  the  usefulness  and  happiness  of  man  in  society. 
It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  state  that  in  many 
cases  these  expectations  are  more  than  fully  realized. 

//.  —  Workrooms  for  the  Girls. 

The  girls'  branch  of  the  technical  department  has 
been  conducted  with  great  ability  and  efficiency,  and  is 
making  excellent  progress  in  the  direction  both  of  use- 
ful and  ornamental  work. 

New  and  graceful  patterns  are  constantly  introduced 
and  skilfully  executed,  and  the  articles  made  by  the 
girls  are  no  less  serviceable  than  beautiful. 

There  is  ample  room  in  the  devising  of  various 
shapes  and  designs  for  the  exercise  of  the  inventive  fac- 
ulty by  the  scholars  ;  and  they  generally  have  something 
new  in  hand,  which  is  a  source  of  interest  and  delight 
to  them,  and  often  of  profit  as  well. 

The  table,  which  is  spread  with  the  handiwork  of  the 
pupils  at  the  weekly  exhibitions,  is  always  an  attraction 
to  visitors,  and  the  little  manufacturers  are  much 
pleased  when  their  wares  bring  them  in  a  small  profit. 
This  encourages  them  to  fresh  exertions  in  the  same 
line ;  and  the  result  is  that  many  of  the  girls  leave  us 
quite  accomplished  in  sewing  and  knitting,  both  by  hand 
and  machine,  in  crocheting,  and  in  making  a  great 
variety  of  articles  of  fancy,  worsted,  and  bead  work. 

The  exhibit  sent  from  this  department  to  the  Mel- 
bourne International  Exposition  last  summer  was  the 
finest  and  most  tasteful  which  has  yet  been  gotten  up 
here,  and  did  great  credit  to  the  pupils  and  to    their 

teacher. 

11 


82  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  quarters  appropriated  for  workrooms  in  the  new 
building  are  extensive  and  commodious,  and  the  gMs 
are  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  more  scope  and  greater 
conveniences  than  they  have  heretofore  enjoyed. 

The  art  of  making  fancy  baskets  was  taught  during 
a  portion  of  the  past  year  by  an  Indian  woman,  who 
resided  in  the  establishment  for  that  purpose,  with 
great  success,  and  it  will  again  be  resumed  during  the 
present  year. 

Manual  Occupations  of  the  Blind  in   Ontario. 

The  circle  of  industrial  employments  for  the  blind 
is  already  very  much  contracted  by  the  invention  of 
machinery ;  and  the  problem  of  "  how  to  enable  the 
great  mass  of  our  pupils  to  earn  their  living  by  the 
work  of  their  hands,". instead  of  approaching  solution, 
becomes  more  and  more  complicated  year  by  year. 
There  are  but  few  articles  made  by  hand  without  the 
guidance  of  sight  which  can  be  profitably  disposed  of, 
and  we  must  seek  for  new  fields  of  industry  for  our 
graduates. 

In  compliance  with  a  vote  of  your  board,  I  have  vis- 
ited the  Ontario  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  Brantford 
for  the  purpose  of  examining  its  industrial  department 
and  obtaining  a  clear  idea  of  its  workings.  I  was  cor- 
dially received  by  Mr.  Hunter,  the  principal,  and  his 
teachers,  and  promptly  assisted  in  all  my  investigations. 
I  found,  on  careful  inspection  of  the  workrooms,  that 
the  rule  of  the  thumb  was  truly  in  the  ascendency 
there,  but  not  to  the  detriment  of  the  literary  and  musi- 
cal departments.  The  pupils  of  both  sexes  are  well 
trained  in  handicraft,  and  some  of  them  are  experts  in 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  83 

their  trades.  Willow- work,  and  knitting  and  sewing  by 
hand  and  machine,  are  the  principal  manual  occupations. 
During  the  past  year  the  boys  have  manufactured  a 
large  number  of  baskets  of  various  kinds,  shapes,  colors, 
and  sizes ;  and  the  girls  have  knit  four  thousand  one 
hundred  pairs  of  socks  by  machine,  and  one  thousand 
and  fifty  of  mittens  by  hand,  for  sale,  besides  cutting  and 
making  about  fifty-three  underwaists  and  dresses  for 
their  own  use.  There  is  no  other  institution  for  the 
blind  on  this  continent  with  which  I  am  acquainted  that 
can  show  equal  results  with  regard  to  the  handicraft  of 
its  female  apprentices.  All  the  wares  made  by  the 
pupils  are  readily  disposed  of  to  advantage.  The  bas- 
kets are  sold  in  open  market,  without  sharp  competition, 
at  good  prices  ;  and  the  stockings  and  mittens  are  pur- 
chased by  order  of  the  government  of  Ontario  for  the 
use  of  the  inmates  of  the  eleemosynary  and  penal  insti- 
tutions of  the  province.  Thus  the  industrial  activity  of 
the  scholars  is  stimulated  by  the  wise  policy  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  by  other  circumstances  peculiar  to  the  loca- 
tion of  the  school  at  Brantford,  and  is  promoted  by  such 
prudent  and  systematic  arrangements  that  it  does  not 
interfere  in  the  least  with  the  work  of  the  other  depart- 
ments of  the  establishment,  which  are  in  a  thriving 
condition.  The  management  of  the  institution  is  not 
only  efficient,  but  decidedly  progressive.  It  is  successful 
in  every  respect ;  for  it  is  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  a  gen- 
tleman who  combines  in  himself  two  excellent  qualities 
which  are  rarely  found  together,  —  that  of  broad  and 
thorough  scholarship  with  uncommon  executive  ability 
enhanced  by  truthfulness  and  strict  honesty.  Mr.  Hun- 
ter is,  moreover,  gifted   with    considerable    mechanical 


84  INSTITUTION   FOR    THE   BLIND.         [Oct 

ingenuity ;  and  the  invention  of  a  new  tablet  for  point- 
writing,  far  superior  to  those  previously  in  existence,  is 
not  the  least  important  among  his  contrivances. 

Depart]\ient  of  Physical  Training. 

The  necessity  of  physical  culture  as  the  basis  for  the 
higher  departm'ents  of  education  has  been  so  fully 
demonstrated  in  previous  reports,  and  is  so  generally 
acknowledged  by  thoughtful  men  everywhere,  that  I 
hardly  need  devote  to  it  more  than  a  few  passing 
remarks  here. 

The  body  and  mind  are  twin  sisters,  co-ordinate  com- 
panions. Their  functions  are  interwoven  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  may  be  considered  as  the  two  well- 
fitting  halves  of  a  perfect  whole,  designed  in  true  accord 
to  sustain  and  support  each  other  mutually.  So  close 
and  intimate  is  theii'  relation  that  the  mind  can  no  more 
reach  the  height  of  intellectual  and  moral  excellence 
when  enshrined  in  an  enervated  and  weak  frame  than  a 
bu'd  can  soar  through  the  mid-heavens  without  the  full 
strength  of  its  wings.  There  is  no  error  more  profound 
or  more  prolific  of  evil  consequences  than  that  which 
views  the  mental  and  bodily  powers  as  antithetic  and 
opposed  to  each  other.  The  truth  is  precisely  the  re- 
verse of  this.  The  welfare  and  efiiciency  of  the  one 
are  greatly  promoted  by  the  soundness  of  the  other. 
Their  union  constitutes  one  of  the  laws  of  nature  which 
never  can  be  broken  with  impunity.  Hence,  intellec- 
tual and  physical  culture  must  advance  hand  in  hand ; 
for,  if  permitted  to  go  apart,  either  will  stray  from  its 
appropriate  sphere,  and  the  result  will  be  feebleness, 
decline,  and  premature  decay. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  85 

In  the  education  of  children  the  fact  must  always  be 
kept  in  view  that  it  is  not  a  mind  or  a  body  that  we 
are  training  up,  —  it  is  a  man,  and  that  we  ought  not  to 
divide  him ;  or,  as  Plato  says,  we  are  not  to  fashion  one 
without  the  other,  but  make  them  draw  together  like 
two  horses  harnessed  to  a  coach.  Every  attempt  to 
cultivate  the  intellect  without  its  co-ordinate  power, 
the  body,  will  end  in  an  ignoble  failure  or  a  miserable 
defeat.  But,  when  the  two  parts  are  made  to  act  in 
unison  and  harmony,  any  thing  within  the  limits  of 
possibility  may  be  accomplished. 

It  is  therefore  obvious  that  every  well-organized  sys- 
tem of  education  should  provide  its  participants  with 
adequate  and  efficient  means  for  regular  and  uniform 
physical  training,  which  shall  call  forth  and  cultivate 
the  latent  powers  and  capacities  of  the  body,  and  aid 
the  full  development  and  expansion  of  its  various  parts 
and  organs. 

But,  if  physical  culture  is  so  great  a  factor  in  the 
education  of  ordinary  children,  in  that  of  the  blind, 
whose  infirmity  is  unquestionably  a  positive  hinderance 
to  the  free  and  uninterrupted  exercise  of  the  muscular 
system,  and  very  seriously  affects  the  development  of  the 
bodily  powers,  it  is  demanded  with  tenfold  force.  No 
school  established  for  their  benefit  can  be  complete  or 
do  its  work  properly  without  making  ample  provision 
for  training  of  this  nature.  Force  of  character,  strength 
of  will,  mental  vigor,  clearness  of  views  and  ideas, 
activity,  energy,  dexterity,  tenacity,  and  endurance  con- 
stitute the  secret  of  success  in  every  undertaking,  and 
are  indispensable  qualities  for  all  youth  who  are  about 
to    enter  on  the  career  of  practical  life.     It  is  a  well- 


86  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

established  fact  that  not  a  few  among  the  blind  are 
more  or  less  wanting  in  these  requirements,  and  they 
must  attain  them  by  proper  training  before  they  can 
reasonably  aspire  to  great  achievements  in  theii'  intellec- 
tual and  professional  pursuits. 

Physical  culture  has  been  followed  systematically  and 
persistently  in  our  school  during  the  past  year,  and  has 
assumed  a  position  commensurate  with  its  importance. 

The  gymnasium  has  been  supplied  with  the  necessary 
apparatus  ;  and  the  pupils,  divided  into  five  classes,  have 
repaired  there  regularly  at  fixed  hours,  and  have  gone 
through  such  a  series  of  systematic  and  progressive 
exercises  as  were  calculated  to  strengthen  every  part 
of  the  physical  frame,  and  to  cause  the  blood,  which, 
owing  to  close  application  to  study,  is  apt  to  crowd 
towards  the  brain  and  produce  languor  and  stupor,  to 
leap  through  the  veins.  Muscular  development  is  thus 
promoted,  the  respiration  and  circulation  are  quick- 
ened, and  the  whole  system  is  toned  up.  Grace  and 
beauty  are  imparted  to  the  person,  and  ease  to  the 
manner ;  and  at  the  same  time  a  pleasing  recreative 
occupation  is  afforded  to  the  mmd. 

The  exercises  have  been  carefully  selected  and  wisely 
conducted  by  competent  teachers  ;  and  their  effect  upon 
the  appearance,  health,  and  strength  of  the  pupils,  has 
been  quite  remarkable.  The  pale  countenances,  nerve- 
less looks,  puny  forms,  di'ooping  heads,  want  of  elasticity 
and  facility  in  the  movements,  tendency  to  spinal  curva- 
ture, flat  and  narrow  chests,  slouching  shoulders,  hag- 
gard cheeks,  —  these  and  all  other  imperfections  which 
are  generally  noticed  in  almost  every  school  for  the 
blind,  and  which  are  indications  of  stunted  growth  and 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  87 

muscular  flabbiness,  have  slowly  but  steadily  diminished, 
if  not  altogether  disappeared,  from  among  our  pupils, 
giving  place  to  comely  figures,  fresh  complexions,  a 
resolute  bearing,  buoyant  spirits,  and  a  fair  share  of 
nerve-power  and  agility.  In  fact,  life  itself  seems  to 
spread  before  them  like  a  fair  field,  of  which  every  acre 
is  their  own. 

Military  drill,  which  has  been  introduced  into  our 
gymnasium  during  the  past  year,  and  carried  on  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  rules  of  tactics,  has  proved  an  invalua- 
ble adjunct  to  our  course  of  exercises,  and  has  already 
conferred  a  great  and  lasting  benefit  upon  our  young 
men.  It  has  helped  to  promote  an  erect  carriage  and 
neatness  of  appearance,  and  to  foster  habits  of  prompt- 
ness, exactness,  and  unanimity  in  action.  It  has  ena- 
bled them  to  acquhe  a  manly  gait  and  a  better  command 
of  their  muscles.  Lastly,  it  has  taught  them  self-con- 
trol, and  has  given  them  correct  ideas  of  order,  disci- 
pline, and  subordination. 

Thanks  to  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  officers 
of  the  institution,  and  most  especially  to  the  endeavors 
of  those  of  the  teachers  who  have  entered  into  the 
work  of  the  gymnasium  with  genuine  enthusiasm  and 
unabating  faith  in  its  beneficent  eff"ects,  this  important 
department  of  our  system  of  education  has  been .  made  a 
success,  and  a  great  amount  of  good  has  already  been 
and  is  being  accomplished  in  it.  The  current  which 
has  so  auspiciously  begun  to  flow  in  this  direction  will 
run  stronger  and  deeper  until  every  child  in  the  insti- 
tution shall  reach  the  highest  point  of  physical  ameliora- 
tion which  lies  within  the  possibilities  of  his  constitution 
and  organization. 


88  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

Concluding  Remarks. 

In  bringing  this  report  to  a  close,  I  beg  leave,  gentle- 
men, to  bespeak  yoiu'  forbearance  for  its  numerous 
short-comings,  and  most  especially  for  the  crudeness 
which  is  apparent  in  the  treatment  of  some  of  its 
topics.  The  time  allotted  for  writing  it  has  been  so 
crowded  with  business  and  cares,  that  it  has  been  im- 
possible for  me  to  bestow  upon  its  preparation  the  atten- 
tion requisite  for  putting  it  into  a  better  form. 

It  is  with  no  small  degree  of  satisfaction  that  I  avail 
myself  again  of  this  opportunity  to  express  my  unquali- 
fied approbation  of  the  valuable  services  of  the  matron 
and  of  all  the  officers  and  teachers  with  whom  I  am 
associated  in  the  management  of  the  institution.  Each 
and  all  of  them  have  performed  their  duties  faithfully 
and  efficiently,  have  spared  no  efforts  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  the  pupils,  and  have  labored  with  zeal, 
perseverance,  and  cheerfulness,  for  the  attainment  of  the 
highest  results. 

To  you,  gentlemen  of  the  board,  I  would  offer  my 
warmest  thanks  for  the  readiness  and  promptness  with 
which  you  have  responded  to  every  claim  upon  your 
time  and  attention,  for  the  great  interest  you  have  inva- 
riably manifested  in  all  movements  concerning  the  wel- 
fare of  the  blind,  and  for  the  uniform  kindness  and 
courtesy  with  which  you  have  received  and  considered 

my  suggestions. 

Respectfully  submitted  by 

M.    ANAGNOS. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  89 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 


Among  the  pleasant  duties  incident  to  the  close  of  the  3'ear  is 
that  of  expressing  our  heartfelt  thanks  and  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs,  societies,  proprietors, 
managers,  editors,  and  publishers,  for  concerts  and  various  musi- 
cal entertainments,  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures,  readings,  and 
for  an  excellent  supply  of  periodicals  and  weekly  papers,  minerals, 
and  specimens  of  various  kinds. 

As  I  have  said  in  previous  reports,  these  favors  are  not  only  a 
source  of  pleasure  and  happiness  to  our  pupils,  but  also  a  valuable 
means  of  aesthetic  culture,  of  social  intercourse,  and  of  mental 
stimulus  and  improvement.  As  far  as  we  know,  there  is  no  com- 
munity in  the  world  which  does  half  so  much  for  the  gratification 
and  improvement  of  its  unfortunate  members  as  that  of  Boston 
does  for  our  pupils. 

I'  —  Acknowledgments  for  Concerts  and  Operas  in  the  City. 

To  the  Harvard  Musical  Association,  through  its  president,  Mr. 
John  S.  Dwight,  for  fifty  season-tickets  to  eight  symphony  con- 
certs. The  blind  of  New  England  are  under  great  and  lasting 
obligations  to  this  association  for  the  uncommon  musical  advan- 
tages which  it  has  always  extended  to  them  in  the  most  liberal 
and  friendly  manner  since  the  inauguration  of  its  concerts. 

To  Messrs.  Tompkins  &  Hill,  proprietors  of  the  Boston  Theatre, 
for  admitting  parties  in  unlimited  numbers  to  six  operas. 

To  Mr.  John  Stetson  of  the  Globe  Theatre,  for  admission  to  one 
opera ;  and  to  Mr.  Thomas,  to  one  children's  operetta  in  Horticul- 
tural Hall. 

To  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  through  its  president,  Mr. 
C.  C.  Perkins,  and  its  secretary,  Mr.  A.  Parker  Browne,  for  tickets 
to  one  oratorio  and  five  rehearsals. 

12 


90  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

To  Mr.  C.  C.  Perkins,  for  tickets  to  five  of  tlie  Euterpe  eon- 
certs. 

To  the  Bo3-Iston  Club,  through  its  secretary',  Mr.  F.  H.  Rat- 
cliffe,  for  admission  to  four  of  its  concerts. 

To  the  Apollo  Club,  through  the  kindness  of  its  secretary,  Mr. 
Arthur  Reed,  for  tickets  to  six  concerts  ;  and  to  the  Cecilia  Club, 
through  the  same  gentleman,  for  an  invitation  to  four  concerts. 

To  the  following  distinguished  artists  we  are  under  great  obli- 
gations for  admitting  our  pupils  to  their  classical  chamber-con- 
certs :  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang,  Mr.  Ernst  Perabo,  Mr.  H.  G.  Tucker,  Mr. 
Henrj'  Hanchett,  Mr.  Arthur  Foote,  Mr.  John  A.  Preston,  Madame 
Frohock,  and  Madame  Cappiani,  Mrs.  S.  W.  Farwell  of  Boston 
generousl}'  sent  to  the  pupils  twenty-five  tickets  to  one  of  Mr. 
Perabo' s  concerts. 

For  popular  concerts  we  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Manlej-  Howe,  Dr. 
L.  B.  Fenderson,  Mr.  Charles  Poole,  Mr.  B.  W.  AVilliams,  and 
Mr.  H.  C.  Brown. 

//.  — Acknoiuledgments  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  fine  concerts  given  from  time  to  time  in  the  hall 
of  the  institution  we  are  greatlj-  indebted  to  the  following  ar- 
tists :  — 

To  the  Polish  violinist,  Mr.  Timothee  Adamowski,  assisted  by 
Mr.  C.  L.  Capen,  Mrs.  H.  T.  Spooner,  Miss  Sarah  Winslow,  Miss 
Teresa  Carreno  Campbell,  and  Miss  Mary  M.  Campbell. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ole  Bull. 

To  Mr.  W.  H.  Sherwood,  assisted  by  Mrs,  Sherwood  and  Mr. 
Alfred  Wilkie. 

To  Mr.  W.  H.  Sherwood  a  second  time,  assisted  by  Mr.  Whit- 
ing and  Miss  Emma  Howe. 

To  Mr.  John  Orth,  assisted  hy  Mr.  Dunnreuter,  Mrs.  Knowles, 
and  Madame  Dietrich  Strong. 

To  Miss  Teresa  Carreno  Campbell,  violinist,  and  Miss  Mary  M. 
Campbell,  pianist. 

To  Miss  Mar3^ Underwood,  assisted  b}^  Miss  Ella  Abbott,  Miss 
Laura  Underwood,  Miss  Josephine  Ware,  and  Miss  Alice  Vars. 

To  Mrs.  Kate  Remetti,  assisted  b}'  her  friends,  for  two  concerts. 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  91 

To  Ml-.  Eugene  Tha3-er,  for  a  series  of  classical  organ  recitals, 
assisted  by  his  chorus,  Miss  Marion  Osgood,  violinist,  and  some 
of  his  best  organ  pupils. 

///.  —  AcJcnoivledgments  for  Lectures  and  Readings. 
For  a  series  of  lectures  and  readings  our  thanks  are  due  to  the 
following  kind  friends  :  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  Miss  Lutie  M. 
Marsh,  Miss  Helen  Harding,  Professor  J.  H.  Dickson,  Miss  Flor- 
ence Bachelder,  Miss  F.  S.  Saj-les,  Miss  Emilj  Esterbrook,  Mrs. 
Fred  Flanders,  Miss  Mar^-  Washburn,  Miss  Alice  Barnicoat,  and 
Mr.  Frank  Pope. 

IV. — Acknowledgments  for  Minerals,  Specimens,   Tangible 
Objects,  &c. 

For  a  collection  of  minerals,  specimens,  and  tangible  objects  of 
various  kinds,  we  are  greatl}'  indebted  to  the  following  persons  : 
Gen.  John  Eaton,  Commissioner  of  Education,  Gen.  William  G. 
LeDuc,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  Mr.  William  Reed,  Mr. 
James  E.  Mills,  Miss  M.  C.  Moulton,  Mrs.  V.  B.  Turner,  Miss 
Sophia  Ann  Wolfe,  and  Miss  Mamie  Ma3'er. 

We  are  also  under  great  obligation  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Eddy,  mana- 
ger of  the  Twombljf  Knitting  Machine  Co.,  for  the  gift  of  one  of 
their  machines  ;  and  to  our  good  friend,  Rev.  Photius  Fisk,  for 
a  great  abundance  of  various  kinds  of  fruit. 

V.  — Acknowledgments  for  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 
The  editors  and  publishers  of  the  following  reviews,  magazines, 
and  semi-monthl}'  and  weekly  papers,  continue  to  be  very  kind  and 
liberal  in   sending  us  their  publications  gratuitouslj',  which  are 
always  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with  interest :  — 

The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education         .  Boston,  Mass. 

The  Atlantic     ..... 

Boston  Home  Journal 

N.  E.  Medical  Gazette 

The  Christian    ..... 

The  Christian  Register 

The  Musical  Record 

The  Musical  Herald 

The  Folio 


92 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


The  Sunday  Herald  .... 

Littell's  Living  Age 

Unitarian  Review      .         .         . 

The  Watchman  .... 

The  Congregationalist 

The  Golden  Rule       .... 

Wide  Awalie     .         .         .         .         . 

The  Salem  Register  .... 

Scribner's  Monthl}^   .... 

St.  Nicholas 

Tlie  Christian  Union 

National  Quarterly  Review 

The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy 

Journal  of  Health     .... 

Lippincott's  Magazine 

The  Penn  Monthly    . 

Weekl}^  Notes 

Church's  Musical  Journal 

Our  Reporter    .... 

The  Bystander 

Hours  of  Recreation 


Boston,  Mass. 


kScdem,      " 
New  York,  N.  T. 


Dansville,     " 
Philadelphia,  Penn. 


Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Concord,  Mich. 

.    Toronto,  Canada. 

Chicago,  PL 

Goodson's  Gazette,  Va.  List,  for  Deaf-Mutes  and  Blind. 
Tablet     .         .  West  Va.  "  "  "         " 

Mirror     .         .  Michigan    "  "  "         " 

Companion      .  Minnesota  "  ''  "         " 

Mute  Ranger  .  Texas  Inst,  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb. 

Mistletoe  ....   Iowa  Inst,  for  the  Blind. 

II  Mentore  dei  Ciechi        .         .         .  Floreyice,  Italy. 


I  desire  again  to  render  the  most  heart}-  thanks,  in  belialf  of  all 
our  pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  thus  nobly  remembered 
them.  The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  attentions 
have  sown  have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will  continue  to 
bear  fruit  in  after  years ;  and  the  memory  of  many  of  these 
delightful  and  instructive  occasions  and  valuable  gifts  will  be  ■ 
retained  through  life. 

M.  Anagnos. 


1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


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94  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account. 
Dr. 

18T9-1880. 

To  cash  paid  on  Auditors'  drafts  . 
city  of  Boston  for  taxes 
repairs  on  houses 

rent  of  box  at  Safe  Deposit  Vaults 
check-book  ..... 
re-investments     .... 
on  hand  Sept.  30,  1880       . 


.  872,787  86 

146  25 

531  50 

20  00 

5  75 

.  19,000  00 

.   2,227  43 

t,718  79 


$579  21 

7,500  00 

3,500  00 

150  00 

50  00 

5,090  62 

Cr. 

1879. 

Sept.  30.  By  balance  of  former  account ..... 

Oct.    10.  From  State  of  Massachusetts 

13.  Maine,  1878-79        .         . '       . 

15.  6  months'  interest  on  note  for  $5,000  at  6  per 

cent 

16.  interest  on   $5,000    United-States   bonds,    3 

months,  at  4  per  cent  ..... 
21.  $5,000  United- States  4  per  cent  bonds,  sold  at 

10111        

S4,000  Boston  and  Lowell  5  per  cent  bonds, 
sold    at   par  value,   $4,000,  and  interest, 

$55.78 4,055  78 

25.               6  months'  interest  on  note,  $3,500,  at  6  per 
cent 

R.  E.  Apthorp,  agent,  rents  collected    . 

6  months'  interest  on  note,  $8,000,  at  6  per 
cent    ........ 

6  months'  interest  on  note,  S3, 500,  at  7  per 
cent    ........ 

6  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  5  jwr 
cent    ........ 

State  of  Massachusetts  ..... 

6  months'  interest  on  note  of  $18,000   at  6 

per  cent 540  00 

10.  12  months'  interest   on  note  of  $8,000  at  5 

per  cent 400  00 

dividend  on  45  shares  Fitchburg  Railroad      .         135  00 

6  months'  interest  on  Boston  and  Lowell  Rail- 
road bonds 150  00 

15.               $6,000  Eastern  Railroad  bonds,  sold  at  .81^, 
$4,890;  and  interest  to  Dec.  12, 
$76  50 $4,966  50 


29. 

Nov. 

29. 

Dec. 

9. 

1880. 

Jan. 

2. 

3. 

5. 

105 

00 

227  75 

240  00 

122 

50 

125 

00 

7,500 

00 

Amounts  carried  forward         ....  $4,966  50  $30,470  86 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  95 

Amounts -brought  forward       .         .         •         .    $4,966  50  $30,470  86 

1880. 

Jan     15.    From  $5,000  Boston  and  Lowell  bonds, 

sold 5,000  00 

interest  on  same  to  9th  inst. .         .  5  56 

$9,972  06 
Less  interest  on  loan.       $21  91 
commission       on 

$11,000    .         .         27  50 

49  41 

9,922  65 

17.               executors  of  will  of  William  Taylor,  final  pay- 
ment           891  30 

23  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $2,500,  at  6  per 

cent 75  00 

29,  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $2,500,  at  6  per 

cent 75  00 

6  months'  interest  on  note,  $10,000,  at  6  per 

cent    ....:.-•         300  00 
M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 
City  of  Boston  for  tuning  .         .     $500  00 
J.    H.    M'Cafferty,  account    of 

daughter 45  00 

State  of  Rhode  Island,  account 

of  Henry  Lanergan         .         .  20  00 

Sale  of  embossed  books  .  .  208  76 
J.  B.  Winsor,  account  of  son  .  300  00 
Town  of    Dedham,    account    of 

Mary  O'Hare .         .         .         •         27  22 
Town    of   Brimfield,  account  of 

George  Needham     .         .         .  14  00 

Income  of  legacy  to  Laura  Bridg- 

man 131  20 

Hubert  Baker,  on  account .  .  20  00 
F.  Meisel,  for  old  iron         .         .  86  11 

receipts  of  work  department  :  — 
For  October       .         .   $1,291  05 
November  .         .      1,095  38 

December    .         .        938  77 

3,325  20 

4,737  49 

March  1  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $25,000,  at  6  per 

cent 750  00 

6  months'  interest  on  $4,000,  Eastern  Rail- 
road bonds 90  00 

20  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  5  per 

cent 125  00 

24.               interest  on  deposits         .         .         •         •         •         1' "  -•■' 
April    5.  State  of  Massachusetts 7,500^ 

Amount  carried  forward $55,113  47 


96  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Amount  brought  forward         .....         .$55,113  47 

1880. 

April    5.    From  M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 
Sale  of  books  in  embossed  print, 

tablets,  &c $351  32 

From  tuning       ....       520  00 
Nebraska  Institution,  for  map    .  37  00 

A.  D.  Cadwell,  account  of  son    .  85  00 

Rev.  Photius  Fisk,  to  print "  His- 
tory of  Greece  "      .         .         .        500  00 
A  friend,  donation  to  print  Hig- 
ginson's    "History  of   United 
States"  .         .       ".         .         .    1,186  00 
Mrs.  Charles  C.  Paine,  donation 

to  printing  fund  .  .  .  100  00 
J.  J.  Mundo,  acc't  of  daughter,  25  00 
Mrs.     Knowlton,      account      of" 

daughter         .         .         .         .  24  00 

Sale  of  admission-tickets    .         .  50  61 

brooms,  account  of  boys' 

shop   .         .         .         .         24  30 
old  barrels,  junk,  &c.      .         60  69 
Hubert  Baker,  on  account  .         .  30  00 

receipts  of  work  department :  — 
For  January        .         .     $839  91 
February      .         .    1,005  79 
March.         .         .       859  07 

2,704  77 

5,698  69 

12.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $9,000,  at  6  per 

cent 270  00 

1879. 

Oct.    29.  dividend,  30  shares  Boston   and  Providence 

Railroad 105  00 

1880. 

April  15.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  6  per 

cent 150  00 

17.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $3,500,  at  6  per 

cent 105  00 

May     5.  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  dividends     .         120  00 

28.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $8,000,  at  6  per 

cent 240  00 

June  13.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $10,000,  at  6  per 

cent 300  00 

3.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $3,500,  at  7  per 

cent 122  50 

July     1.               interest  on  deposit          .....  53  91 

6  months'  interest  on  note  of  |8,000  at  5  per 
cent 200  00 

Amount  carried  forward  .....         .$62,478  57 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  97 

Amount  brought  forward f  6-,478  57 

1880. 

July     1.    From  6  months'  interest  on  note  of  $5,000  at  5  per 

cent 125  00 

3.  6  months'  interest  on  note  of  $18,000  at  6  per 

cent 540  00 

7,500  00 

420  82 

1,000  00 


75  00 

75  00 
100  00 
3,300  00 
3,625  00 
3,150  00 
1,925  00 


8.  State  of  Massachusetts  .... 

16.  rents  collected  by  R.  E.  Apthorp,  agent 

H.  B.  Rogers,  for  permanent  printing    . 
23.  fund  6  months'  interest  on  note,  |2,500,  at 

6  per  cent.         .         .         .         .         • 
26.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  f2,500,  at  6  per 

cent    ...•••• 
Aug.    2.  estate  of  William  Munroe      . 

10.  State  of  Connecticut      .... 

11.  Maine 

Rhode  Island  .... 

13,  Vermont  .         .         .         •         • 

M.  Anagnos,  Director,  as  per  following:  — 

Tuning !«400  00 

Sale  of  books  in  raised  print       .        126  35 
maps      .         .         .         .  74  00 

J.    H.    M'Cafferty,   account  of 

daughter  .         .         •         •  55  00 

A.  D.  Cadwell,  account  of  son     .         90  00 
Income  of  legacy  to  Laura  Bridg- 

man 40  00 

receipts  of  work  department :  — 

For  April     .         .         .     S894  02 

May      .         .         .    1,378  86 

June      .         .         .    1,446  24 

July      .         .        .    1,692  10 

5,411  22 

6,196  57 

10.  6  months'  interest  ou  note,  $10,000,  at  6  per 

cent 300  00 

Sept.    1.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $5,000,  at  5  per 

cent 125  00 

2.  6  months'  interest  on  note,  $25,000,  at  6  per 

cent 750  00 

30.  M.  Anagnos,  as  per  following:  — 

Sale  of  books  and  writing-tablets,     $154  64 

Tuning 250  00 

Mrs.  Knowlton,  account  of  daugh- 
ter   24  00 

Sale  of  brooms,  account  of  boys' 

shop 14  13 

Amounts  carried  forward         ....     $44277191,68596 
13 


98  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Amounts  brought  forward        ....      $i42  77  $91,685  96 

1880.  , 

Sept.  30.     From  sale  of  old  junk,  &c.      .         .         .         48  10 
admission-tickets       .         .  40  08 

receipts  of  work  department :  — 
For  August         .         .     $957  30 
September  .         .    1,544  58 


2,501  88 


3,032  83 
M,718  79 


Analysis  of  Treasuker's  Accounts. 
The  Treasurer's  account  shows  that  the  total  receipts  during 

the  year  were $94,718  79 

Less  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year      .         .         .  579  21 


$94,139  58 


Ordinary  Receipts. 
From  the  State  of  Massachusetts  .         .         .  $30,000  00 

beneficiaries  of  other  states  and  individuals,   16,430  42 
interest,  coupons,  and  rent  ....      7,913  65 

Extraordinary  Receipts 
From  work  department,  for  sale  of  articles  made 

by  the  blind,  &c 

sale  of  bonds       ..... 
embossed  books  and  maps 

tuning 

legacies  and  donations 
sale  of  brooms,  account  of  boys'  shop 
old  junk,  barrels,  &c. 
admission-tickets 


B 

.  $13,943  07 

.  19,069 

05 

.  1,012 

07 

.   1,670 

00 

.  3,777 

30 

38 

43 

194 

90 

90 

69 

$54,344  07 


39,795  51 
m,139  58 


General  Analysis  of  the  Steward's  Account. 
Dr. 
Amount  in  Steward's  hands  Oct.  1,  1879       .         .       $773  16 
Receipts  from  Auditors'  drafts      ....    72,787  86 

$73,561  02 
Less  amount  in  Steward's  hands  Oct.  1,  1880       .      2,054  82 

$71,506  20 

Cr. 
Ordinary  expenses  as  per  schedule  annexed  .         .  $42,476  53 

Extraordinary  expenses  as  per  schedule  annexed  .    29,029  67 

•^      ,  71,506  20 


1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27. 


99 


Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1880, 
AS  PER  Steward's  Account. 


Meat,  25,893  lbs.  . 

Fish,  3,528  lbs.     . 

Butter,  4,017  lbs. 

Rice,  sago,  &c.      . 

Bread,  flour,  and  meal . 

Potatoes  and  other  vegetables 

Fruit    .... 

Milk,  16,447  quarts       . 

Sugar,  8,411  lbs.  . 

Tea  and  coffee,  686  lbs. 

Groceries 

Gas  and  oil   . 

Coal  and  wood 

Sundry  articles  of  consumption 

Salaries,  superintendence,  and  instruction 

Domestic  wages    . 

Outside  aid  .... 

Medicines  and  medical  aid    . 

Furniture  and  bedding 

Clothing  and  mending  . 

Musical  instruments 

Expenses  of  tuning  department 

boys'  shop 

printing-office    . 

stable 

Books,  stationery,  and  school  apparatus 
Ordinary  construction  and  repairs 
Taxes  and  insurance  . 
Travelling  expenses 
Rent  of  office  in  town  . 
Board  of  men  and  clerk  during  vacation 
Sundries        ...... 


Extraordinary  Expenses. 

Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs 
Bills  to  be  refunded       .... 
Beineficiaries  of  the  Harris  Fund  . 
Expenses  of  work  department 


$13,073  36 

90  10 

703  00 

15,163  21 


$2,153  42 

191  90 

1,538  37 

73  61 

1,437  34 

616  16 

242  09 

1,008  25 

822  09 

173  75 

622  38 

372  19 

2,464  69 

226  29 

15,009  41 

4,084  73 

163  55 

36  45 

1,468  17 

32  86 

902  47 

822  19 

39  44 

3,011  82 

232  59 

2,146  06 

1,480  42 

609  76 

73  33 

250  00 

118  86 

51  89 


>,476  53 


29,029  67 
$71,506  20 


100  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Department, 
Oct.  1,  1880. 

LiahiVilies. 
Due  institution  for  investments  at  sundry  times 

since  the  first  date    ..... 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts   . 

Assets. 
Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1880 
Debts  due    ....... 


Balance  against  work  department  Oct.  1,  1880 
Balance  against  work  dejiartment  Oct.  1,  1879 

Cost  of  carrying  on  workshop 


Dr. 

Cash  received  for  sales,  &c.,  during  the  year 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts     . 


Cr. 

Salaries  and  wages  paid  blind  persons  . 
Salaries  and  wages  paid  seeing  persons 
Sundries  for  stock,  Sec. 


$40,897  45 
1,220  14 

itt/IO  117    Kn 

$4,698 
1,399 

78 
82 

fi  OOS  fiO 

$36,018  99 

• 

.  $36,018  99 
.     35,028  96 

. 

$990  03 

$13,943  07 
1,220  14 

«!1f;   IRQ    oi 

^^i.<J,J.K,XJ      -J. 

$3,186  72 
2,608  75 
9,367  74 

<1HK    IRQ     OI 

1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


101 


Account  of  Stock  Oct.  1,  1880. 


Real  estate 

$247,800  00 

Railroad  stock      ...... 

15,050  00 

Notes  secured  by  mortgage  .... 

115,000  00 

Cash 

4,282  25 

Stock  in  work  department  .... 

4,698  78 

Household  furniture 

16,581  41 

Provisions  and  supplies         .... 

1,101  26 

2,877  90 

Musical  department,  viz., — 

One  large  organ        ..... 

$5,500  00 

Three  small  organs  ..... 

730  00 

Forty- four  pianos     ..... 

11,000  00 

Violins     ....... 

100  00 

1,500  00 

18,830  00 

Books  in  printing-office         .... 

4,700  00 

Stereotype  plates          ..... 

2,100  00 

School  furniture  and  apparatus    . 

5,700  00 

Musical  library 

625  00 

Library  of  books  in  common  type 

1,950  00 

Library  of  books  in  raised  type    . 

5,500  00 

Boys'  shop 

108  75 

Stable  and  tools  .         .         . 

625  75 

Boat 

15  00 

$447,546  10 

102 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


LIST   OF   EMBOSSED   BOOKS 
Printed  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE    OF    BOOK. 

P.   g 

Howe's  Geogi-aphy 

|2  50 

Howe's  Atlas  of  the  Islands 

3  00 

Howe's  Blind  Child's  First  Book 

1  25 

Howe's  Blind  Child's  Second  Book 

1  25 

Howe's  Blind  Child's  Third  Book 

1  25 

Howe's  Blind  Child's  Fourth  Book 

1  25 

Second  Table  of  Logarithms 

3  00 

Astronomical  Dictionary 

2  00 

Eudiments  of  Natural  Philosophy 

4  00 

Philosophy  of  Natural  History 

3  00 

Guyot's  Geography 

4  00 

Howe's  Cyclopaedia 

4  00 

Natural  Theology       ". 

4  00 

Combe's  Constitution  of  Man     ...... 

4  00 

Pope's  Essay  on  Man,  and  other  Poems      .... 

2  50 

Baxter's  Call 

2  50 

Book  of  Proverbs 

2  00 

Book  of  Psalms  ......... 

3  00 

New  Testament  (small) 

2  50 

Book  of  Common  Prayer 

4  00 

3  00 

Pilgrim's  Progress       .         .         .     '    . 

4  00 

Life  of  Melanchthon 

2  00 

Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop 

4  00 

Shakspeare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Cresar       .... 

4  00 

Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold     . 

3  00 

Anderson's  History  of  the  United  States    .... 

2  50 

Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England         .... 

3  50 

Selections  from  the  AVorks  of  Swedenborg .... 

- 

Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe          ..... 

3  00 

Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology,  and  Hygiene 

4  00 

Viri  Romfe,  new  edition  with  additions      .... 

2  00 

The   Reader ;    or,   Extracts   from   British   and  American 

Literature" _        • 

3  00 

Musical  Characters  used  by  the  seeing,  with  explanations  . 

35 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost 

3  00 

Higgiuson's  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States     . 

3  50 

Schmitz's  History  of  Greece       ...... 

3  00 

Schmitz's  History  of  Eome 

2  50 

Freeman's  History  of  Europe 

2  50 

3  00 

Lodge's  Twelve  Popular  Tales    ...... 

2  00 

50 

Huxley's  Science  Primers,  Introductory     .... 

2  00 

American  Prose          ........ 

2 

3  00 

1880.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27 


103 


LIST   OF   APPLIANCES   AND   TANGIBLE   APPARATUS 

Made  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


Geography. 
I.  —  Wall-Maps. 

1.  The  Hemispheres 

2.  United  States,  Mexico,  and  Canada 

3.  South  America   .... 

4.  Europe 

5.  Asia 

6.  Africa         ..... 

7.  The  World  on  Mercator's  Projection 

Each  $35,  or  tlie  set,  $245. 


size  42  by  52  inches. 


II.  —  Dissected  Maps. 


Eastern  Hemisphere 
Western  Hemisphere 
North  America 
United  States 
South  America 

6.  Europe 

7.  Asia    . 

8.  Africa 


Each  $23,  or  the 


size  30  by  36  inches. 


set,  $184. 


each,  $0  75 


These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy,  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability,  and  beauty,  far  superior  to  all  thus 
far  made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 

"The  New-England  Journal  of  Education"  says,  "They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any  school- 
room." 

III. — Pin-Maps. 

Cushions  for  pin-maps  and  diagrams      .... 

Arithmetic. 

Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel -plated 
Ciphering- types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred    . 


Writing. 
Grooved  writing-cards    .... 
Braille's  tablets,  with  metallic  bed 
Braille's  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille's  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille's  Daisy  tablets    .... 


each, 

14  25 

(( 

1  00 

each, 

$0  10 

(( 

1  50 

u 

1  00 

u 

1  00 

(( 

5  00 

104  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


TERMS    OF   ADMISSION. 


Young  blind  persons  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  nine- 
teen, and  of  good  moral  character,  can  be  admitted  to  the 
school  by  paying  $300  per  annum.  This  sum  covers  all 
expenses,  except  for  clothing ;  namely,  board,  washing,  the 
use  of  books,  musical  instruments,  &c.  The  pupils  must 
furnish  their  own  clothing,  and  pay  their  own  fares  to  and 
from  the  institution.  The  friends  of  the  pupils  can  visit 
them  whenever  they  choose. 

Indigent  blind  persons  of  suitable  age  and  character,  be- 
longing to  Massachusetts,  can  be  admitted  gratuitously  by 
application  to  the  Governor  for  a  warrant. 

The  following  is  a  good  form,  though  any  other  will  do  :  — 

"  To  his  Excellency  the  Governor. 

"Sir, — My  son  (or  daughter,  or  nephew,  or  niece,  as  the  case  may- 
be), named  ,  and  aged  ,  cannot  be  instructed  in  the  common 

schools,  for  want  of  sight.  I  am  unable  to  pay  for  the  tuition  at  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  and  I  re- 
quest that  your  Excellency  will  give  a  warrant  for  free  admission. 

"  Very  respectfully, ." 

The  application  may  be  made  by  any  relation  or  friend,  if 
the  parents  are  dead  or  absent. 

It  should  be  accompanied  by  a  certificate  from  one  or 
more  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  or  aldermen  of  the  city, 
in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  hereby  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion,  Mr. is  not  a  wealthy 

person,  and  that  he  cannot  afford  to  pay  |300  per  annum  for  his  child's 
instruction.  (Signed)  ." 

There  should  be  a  certificate,  signed  by  some  regular  phy- 
sician, in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion, has  not  sufficient  vision  to 

be  taught  in  common  schools;  and  that  he  is  free  from  epilepsy,  and 
from  any  contagious  disease.  (Signed) ." 


1880.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  105 

These  papers  should  be  done  up  together,  and  forwarded 
to  the  Director  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  3Iass. 

An  obligation  will  be  required  from  some  responsible  per- 
sons, that  the  pupil  shall  be  kept  properly  supplied  with 
decent  clothing,  shall  be  provided  for  during  vacations,  and 
shall  be  removed,  without  expense  to  the  institution,  when- 
ever it  may  be  desirable  to  discharge  him. 

The  usual  period  of  tuition  is  from  five  to  seven  years. 
Indigent  blind  persons  residing  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island,  by  applying  as 
above  to  the  Governor,  or  the  "  Secretary  of  State,"  in  their 
respective  states,  can  obtain  warrants  for  free  admission. 

The  relatives  or  friends  of  the  blind  who  may  be  sent  to 
the  institution  are  requested  to  furnish  information  in  an- 
swer to  the  following  questions  :  — 

1.  What  is  the  name  and  age  of  the  applicant  ? 

2.  Where  born? 

3.  Was  he  born  blind?     If  not,  at  what  age  was  his  sight  impaired? 

4.  Is  the  blindness  total  or  partial? 

5.  What  is  the  supposed  cause  of  the  blindness  ? 

6.  Has  he  ever  been  subject  to  fits? 

7.  Is  he  now  in  good  health,  and  free  from  eruptions  and  contagious 
diseases  of  the  skin? 

8.  Has  he  ever  been  to  school?     If  yes,  where? 

9.  What  is  the  general  moral  character  of  the  applicant? 

10.  Of  what  country  was  the  father  of  the  applicant  a  native? 

11.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  and  health  of  the  father, — 
was  he  vigorous  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary  ? 

12.  Was  the  father  of  the  applicant  ever  subject  to  fits  or  to  scrofula  ? 

13.  Were  all  his  senses  perfect? 

14.  Was  he  always  a  temperate  man? 

15.  About  how  old  was  he  when  the  applicant  was  born? 

16.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  the  family  of  the  father  of 
the  applicant;  that  is,  were  any  of  the  gi'andparents,  parents,  uncles, 
aunts,  brothers,  sisters,  or  cousins,  blind,  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted 
with  any  infirmity  of  body  or  mind? 

17.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  the  father  die,  and  of  what  disorder? 

18.  Where  was  the  mother  of  the  applicant  born? 

19.  What  was  the  general  bodily  condition  of  the  mother  of  the  appli. 
cant,  — strong  and  healthy,  or  the  contrary? 

20.  Was  she  ever  subject  to  scrofula  or  to  fits  ? 

21.  Were  all  her  senses  perfect? 

22.  Was  she  always  a  temperate  woman? 

23.  About  how  old  was  she  when  the  applicant  was  born? 

14 


106  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.     [Oct.  '80. 

24.  How  many  children  had  she  before  the  applicant  was  born  ? 

25.  Was  she  related  by  blood  to  her  husband?  If  so,  in  what  degree, 
—  first,  second,  or  third  cousins  ? 

26.  If  dead,  at  what  age  did  she  die,  and  of  what  disorder? 

27.  Was  there  any  known  peculiarity  in  her  family;  that  is,  were  any 
of  her  grandparents,  parents,  uncles,  aunts,  sisters,  brothers,  children,  or 
cousins,  either  blind,  or  deaf,  or  insane,  or  afflicted  with  any  infirmity  of 
body  or  mind  ? 

28.  What  are  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  parents  or  immediate  rela- 
tives of  the  applicant  ? 

29.  How  much  can  they  afford  to  pay  towards  the  support  and  edu- 
tiori  of  the  applicants  ? 

For  further  particulars,  address  M.  Anagnos,  Director 
OP  THE  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston^  3Iass. 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT.  No.  27. 


FIFTIETH  ANNUAL   EEPOET 


THE    TRUSTEES 


PERKINS    INSTITUTION 


P;assitcljitsctts  Btlpal  hx  tijc  ^linb. 


FOR  THE  TEAR  ENDING 


SEPTEMBER  30,  1881. 


BOSTON: 
JSanB,  Slberp,  $c  Co.,  Printers  to  tl)e  Commontocaltf), 

117  Franklin  Street. 
1882. 


TABLE     OF     CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Communication  to  the  Secretary  of  State 4 

Officers  of  the  Corporation 5 

Officers  of  the  Institution 6 

Members  of  the  Corporation 7 

Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Corporation        ....     11 

Keport  of  the  Trustees 15 

Present  state  of  the  School,  p.  17.  — Finances,  p.  18.  —  Repairs  and  Improvements, 
p.  19.  —  Embossing  Books  for  the  Blind,  p.  21.  —  The  Printing  Fund,  p.  22. — 
Work  Department  for  Adults,  p.  27.  —  Exhibits  of  the  Work  of  the  Institution, 
p.  28.  —  Semi-centennial  Anniversary,  p.  28. —  Closing  Remarks,  p.  30. 

The  Report  of  the  Director 32 

Number  of  Inmates,  p.  33.  —  Sanitary  Condition,  p.  34.  —  Scope  of  the  Education 
of  the  Blind,  p.  35.  —  Literary  Department,  p.  36.  —  Kindergarten  and  Object- 
teaching,  p.  38.  —  Music  Department,  p.  40.  —  Tuning  Department,  p.  43.  —  Tech- 
nical Department,  p.  44.  —  Workshop  for  the  Boys,  p.  45.  —  Workrooms  for  the 
Girls,  p.  46.  —  Department  of  Physical  Training,  p.  47.  —  Collections  of  Tangible 
Objects,  Library,  etc.,  p.  48. 
Historical  Sketch  of  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  p.  49.  —  Condition  of  the  Blind  in 
the  past,  p.  50.  —  Early  Attempts  at  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  p.  51.  —  Valen- 
tin Haiiy  and  the  School  at  Paris,  p.  61. —  Schools  for  the  Blind  in  Great  Britain 
and  Europe,  p.  78.  —  Foundation  of  the  New-England  Institution,  p.  81. — Instuc- 
tion  and  Training  of  Laura  Bridgman,  p.  103.  —  Establishment  of  other  Institu- 
tions in  America,  p.  108.  —  Comparison  of  European  and  American  Institutions, 
p.  117. 

Acknowledgments 121 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer 126 

Certificate  of  the  Auditing  Committee 129 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Account,  p,  130. — Analysis  of  Treasurer's 
Accounts,  p.  133. 

General  Analysis  of  Steward's  Account 133 

Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Tear  ending  Sept.  30,  1881,  as  per  Steward's 
Account,  p.  134. 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Department 135 

Account  of  Stock  Oct.  1, 1881 136 

List  of  Contributors  to  Printing  Fund 137 

List  of  Embossed  Books 141 

List  of  Appliances  and  Tangible  Apparatus 142 


€ommonmeaItl)  o(  iMasBacljusette. 


Pekkins  Ikstitution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blini}, 
South  Boston,  Oct.  18, 1881. 

To  the  Hon.  Hexry  B.  Peirce,  Secretary  of  State,  Boston. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  for  the 
use  of  the  legislature,  a  cop}'-  of  the  fiftieth  annual  report 
of  the  trustees  of  this  institution  to  the  corporation  thereof, 
together  with  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 

Respectfully, 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretary/. 


OFFICEES   OF  THE   CORPOKATION. 

1881-82. 


SAMUEL   ELTOT,  President. 
JOHN"   CUiMMINGS,    Vice-President. 
EDWARD  JACKSON,   Treasurer. 
M.  ANAGNOS,  Secrelary. 


BOARD   OF   TRUSTEES. 


ROBERT  E.  APTHORP. 
JOHX  S.  DWIOHT. 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER. 
J.  THEODORE   HEARD,  M.D. 
HENRY   LEE  HIGGINSON. 
JAMES  H.  MEANS,  D.D. 


ROBERT  TREAT  PATNE,  JtJif. 
EDWARD  N.  PERKINS. 
SAMUEL  M.  QUINCY. 
SAMUEL  G.  SNELLING. 
JAMES   STURGIS. 
GEORGE  W.  WALES. 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 

Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 

whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Institution  at  least  once  in  each  month. 

1882.  January    .  .  R.  E.  Apthorp.  I    1882.   July    .     .    .  R.  T.  Paine,  Jun. 

February  .  .  J.  S.  Dwigut.  August    .     .  E.  N.  Pkhkins. 

March  .     .  .  J.  B.  Glover.  September   .  S.  M.  Quincy. 

April     .     .  .  J.  T.  Heaki).  October   .     .  S.  G.  Snelling. 

May  .    .    .  .  H.  L.  Higginson.  November    .  James  Stuhgis. 

June     .    .  .  J.  H.  Means.  '  December    .  Geo.  W.  Wales. 


Committee  on  Education. 

J.  S.  Dwight. 
R,  T.  Paine,  Jun. 
S.  M.  Quincy. 

Committee  of  Finance. 

R.  E.  Apthokp. 
J.  B.  Glover. 
James  Sturgis. 


House  Committee. 

E.  N.  Perkins. 
G.  W.  Wales. 
J.  H.  Means. 


Committee  on  Health. 

J.  Theodore  Heard. 
E.  N.  Perkins. 
H.  L.  Higginson. 


Auditors  of  Accounts. 

Robert  E.  Apthorp. 
Samuel  G.  Snellikg. 


OFFICEES   OF   THE   INSTITUTION. 


DIKECTOR. 

M.     ANAGNOS. 


MEDICAL  INSPECTOR. 
JOHN     ROMANS,     M.D. 


Miss  J.  R.  Oilman. 
Miss  E.  S.  Adams. 
Miss  Annie  E.  Carnes. 
Miss  Julia  Boylan. 


LITERARY  DEPARTMENT. 

Miss  Della  Bennett. 
Miss  Mary  C.  Moore. 
Miss  Cora  A.  Newton. 
Miss  S.  E.  Lane,  Librarian. 


Thomas'Reeves. 
Frank  H.  Kilbourne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Lizzie  Riley. 
Miss  Lucy  Hammond. 
Miss  M.  L.  Drowne. 
Orville  Cadwell,  Assistant 


MUSICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 

C.   H.   HiGGINS. 

Joseph  R.  Lucier. 


Music  Readers. 
Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  Mary  A.  Proctor. 


TUNING  DEPARTMENT. 
J.  "W.  SMITH,  Instructo)-  aiid  Manager. 


INDUSTRIAL   DEPARTMENT. 


"Workshops  for  Juveniles. 
J.  H.  Wright,   Woi-k  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham,  Work  Mistress. 
Thomas  Carroll,  Assistant. 
Miss  H.  Kellier,  Assistant. 


■Workshop  for  Adults. 
A.  "W".  Bowden,  Manager. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  DwELLY,  Foreicoman. 
Miss  M.  M.  Stone,  Clerk.    , 


DOMESTIC  DEPARTMENT. 


Steward. 
A.  "W.  Bowden. 

Matron. 
Miss  M.  C.  MouLTON. 
Miss  E,  Ware,  Assistant. 


Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Knowlton. 

!Mis.  L.  S.  Smith. 
Miss  Bessie  Wood. 
Miss  Lizzie  N.  Smith. 


PRINTING  DEPARTMENT. 
Dennis  A.  Reardon,  Manager. 


Miss  E.  B.  Webster,  Book-keeper. 


MEMBEES  OF  THE  COKPOEATION. 


All  persons  who  have  contributed  twenty-five  dollars  to 
the  funds  of  the  institution,  all  who  have  served  as  trustees 
or  treasurer,  and  all  who  have  been  elected  by  special  vote, 
are  members. 


Aldrich,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  Boston. 
Ames,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  Boston. 
Amory,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Amory,  James  S.,  Boston. 
Amory,  William,  Boston. 
Anagnos,  M.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  Miss  Emily  G.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  T.  G.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  Mrs.  William,  Boston. 
Ap thorp,  Robert  E.,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  William  F. ,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  William,  Boston. 
Austin,  Edwai'd,  Boston. 
Baldwin,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Miss  M.  K.,  Boston. 
Barbour,  E.  D.,  Boston. 
Barrows,  Rev.  S.  J.,  Dorchester. 
Beal,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Beard,  Hon.  Alanson  W.,  Boston. 
Bennett,  Mrs.  Eleanor,  Billerica. 
Bigelow,  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Blake,  G.  Baty,  Boston. 
Blanchard,  G.  D.  B.,  Maiden. 
Bouve,  Thomas  T. ,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  Mrs.  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Brewster,  Osmyn,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Hon.  Martin,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Francis,  Boston. 


Brooks,  Rev.  Phillips,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Shepherd,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Susan  O.,  Boston. 
Browne,  A.  Parker,  Boston. 
BuUard,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Burnham,  J.  A.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  P.  W.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  Theophilus  P.,  Brookline. 
Chase,  Mrs.  Theodore,  Boston. 
Cheney,  Benjamin  P.,  Boston. 
Chickering,  George  H.,  Boston. 
Childs,  Alfred  A.,  Boston. 
Claflin,  Hon.  William,  Boston. 
Clapp,  William  W.,  Boston. 
Clement,  Edward  H.,  Boston. 
Cobb,  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Conant,    Mrs.    Rebecca,    Amherst, 

N.H. 
Coolidge,  Dr.  A.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Crane,  Zenas  M.,  Dalton. 
Crosby,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Hon.  John,  Woburn. 
Curtis,  Mrs.  Charles  P.,  Boston. 
Dana,  Mrs.  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  Mrs.  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Davis,  James,  Boston. 
Deblois,  Stephen  G.,  Boston. 


8 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Devens,  Rev.  Samuel  A.,  Boston. 
Ditson,  Oliver,  Boston. 
Dix,  J.  H  ,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Dwiglit,  John  S.,  Boston. 
Eliot,  Dr.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Emery,  Francis  F.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Emmons,  Mrs.  Nath'l  H.,  Boston. 
English,   James    E.,   New   Haven, 

Conn. 
Endicott,  Henry,  Boston. 
Endicott,  William,  jun.,  Boston. 
Farnam,  Mrs.  A.  G.,  New  Haven, 

Conn. 
Farnam,  Henry,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Fay,  Miss  Sarah  B.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Mrs.  S.  S  ,  Boston. 
Fellows,  R.  •!.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Fisk,  Rev.  Photius,  Boston. 
Folsom,  Charles  F.,  M.D.,  Danvers. 
Forbes,  J.  M.,  Milton. 
Freeman,  Miss  Hattie  E  ,  Boston. 
Frothingham,  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Galloupe,  C-  W.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  Charles  P.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George  A.,  Boston. 
Glover,  J.  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Benjamin,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  Delano  A.,  Boston. 
Gray,  Mrs.  Horace,  Boston. 
Greenleaf ,  INIrs.  James,  Charlestown. 
Greenleaf,  R.  C,  Boston. 
Grover,  W.  A.,  Boston. 
Guild,  Mrs.  S.  E.,  Boston. 
Hale,  Rev.  Edward  E  ,  Boston. 
Hale,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Hall,  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Hall,  Miss  L.  E.,  Charlestown. 
Hardy,  Alpheus,  Boston. 
Haskell,  Edwin  B.,  Auburndale. 
Heard,  J.  T.,  M  D.,  Boston, 
lligginson,  George,  Boston. 
Higginson,  Henry  Lee,  Boston. 
Hill,  Hon.  Hamilton  A.,  Boston. 
Hilton,  William,  Boston. 
Hogg,  John,  Boston. 
Hooper,  E.  W.,  Boston. 


Hooper,  R.  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hovey,  George  O.,  Boston. 
Hovey,  William  A  ,  Brookline. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward,  Boston. 
Howes,  Miss  E.,  Boston. 
Houghton,  Hon.  H.  O.,  Cambridge. 
Hunnewell,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Hunt,  Moses,  Charlestown. 
Hyatt,  Alpheus,  Cambridge. 
Inches,  H.  B  ,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Jarvis,  Edward,  M.D.,  Dorchester. 
Jones,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Kendall,  C.  S  ,  Boston. 
Kennard,  Martin  P.,  Brookline. 
Kidder,  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Kinsley,  E.  AV.,  Boston. 
Lang,  B.  J.,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Abbott,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  Longwood. 
Lawrence,  Edward,  Charlestown. 
Lawrence,  William,  Boston. 
Lincoln,  L.  J.  B.,  Ilingham. 
Littell,  Miss  S.  G.,  Brookline. 
Lockwood,  Mrs.  Alice,  Providence, 

RI. 
Lodge,  Mrs.  A.  C,  Boston. 
Lord,  Melvin,  Boston. 
Lothrop,  John,  Auburndale. 
Lovett,  George  L.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Miss  A.  C  ,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Arthur  T.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Mack,  Thomas,  Boston. 
May,  Miss  Abby,  Boston. 
May,  F.  W.  G.,  Dorchester. 
May,  Mrs.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Means,  Rev.  J.  H.,  D  D.,  Dorchester. 
Merriam,  Mrs.  Caroline,  Boston. 
i\Ierriam,  Charles,  Boston. 
INIinot,  William,  Boston. 
Montgomery,  Hugh,  Boston. 
Morrill,  Charles  J.,  Boston. 


1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  —  No.  27. 


Morton,  Edwin,  Boston. 
Motley,  Edward,  Boston. 
Nichols,  J.  Howard,  Boston. 
Nichols,  R.  P.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  Mrs.  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  George,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Nickerson,  S.  D  ,  Boston. 
Noyes,  Hon.  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Osborn,  John  T.,  Boston. 
Paine,  Mrs.  Julia  B.,  Boston. 
Paine,  Robert  Treat,  jun.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Mrs.  E.  P.,  Boston. 
Parker,  E.  F.,  Boston. 
Parker,  H.  D.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Richard  T.,  Boston. 
Parkraan,  Francis,  Boston. 
Parknian,  George  F.  Boston. 
Parkman,  Rev.  John,  Boston. 
Parsons,  Thomas,  Chelsea. 
Payson,  S.  R.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  Rev.  A.  P.,  D.D.,  Camb'ge. 
Peabody,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  O.  W.,  Milton. 
Perkins,  Charles  C  ,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Edward  N.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Perkins,  AVilliam,  Boston. 
Peters,  Edward  D.,  Boston. 
Phillips,  John  C  ,  Boston. 
Pickman,  W.  D  ,  Boston. 
Pickman   Mrs.  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pierce,  Hon.  H.  L.,  Boston. 
Pratt,  Elliott  W.,  Boston. 
Pratt,  Miss  Mary,  Boston. 
Prendergast,  J   M.  Boston. 
Preston,  .Jonathan,  Boston. 
Quincy,  Hon.  Josiah,  Wollaston. 
Quincy,  Samuel  M.,  Wollaston. 
Rice,  Hon.  A.  H.,  Boston. 
Robeson,  W.  R.,  Boston. 
Robinson,  Henry,  Reading. 
Rogers,  Henry  B.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Jacob  C,  Boston. 
Ropes,  J.  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Rotch,  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Rotch,  Mrs.  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Russell,  Miss  Marian,  Boston. 
Russell,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
Salisbury,  Stephen,  Worcester. 
2 


Saltonstall,  H.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  Newton. 
Sanborn,  Frank  B.,  Concord. 
Sargent,  I  ,  Brookline. 
Schlesinger,  Sebastian,  Boston. 
Sears,  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  K    W.,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  S.  P.,  Boston. 
Sears,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Mrs.  G.  H.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Quincy  A.    Boston. 
Sherwood,  AV.  H.,  Boston. 
Shimmin,  C.  F.,  Boston. 
Shippen,    Rev.    Rush   R.,  Jamaio 

Plain. 
Slack,  C.  AV.,  Boston. 
Snelling,  Samuel  G,  Boston. 
Stone,  Joseph  L  ,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  Francis  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Sturgis,  James,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Sullivan,  Richard,  Boston. 
Sweetser,  Mrs.  Anne  M.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  B.  AA'.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  Mrs.  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Thaxter,  Joseph  B  ,  Hingham. 
Thayer,  Miss  A.  G.,  Andover. 
Thayer,  Rev.  George  A.,  Boston. 
Thayer,  Nathaniel,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  S.  Lothrop,  Cambridge. 
Tucker,  Alanson,  Boston. 
Tucker,  AV^  W.,  Boston. 
Turner,  Miss  Abby  AV.,  Boston. 
Upton,  George  B.,  Boston. 
AVales,  George  W.,  Boston. 
AVales,  Miss  Mary  Ann,  Boston. 
Wales,  Thomas  B.,  Boston. 
AVard,  Samuel,  New  York. 
Ware,  Charles  E.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
AA^arren,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
AVashburn,  Hon.  J.  D.,  AA^orcester. 
AVeld,  W.  G.,  Boston. 
AVheelwright,  A.  C,  Boston. 
AAHieelwright,  John  AV.,  Boston. 
AVhitman,  Sarah  W.,  Boston. 
AVhite,  B.  C  ,  Boston. 
AA'hiting,  Ebenezer,  Boston. 
AVhitney,  Edward,  Belmont. 
AVhitney,  E.,  Boston. 


10 


INSTITUTION  FOR   THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


Whitney,  Mrs.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Miss,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Miss  Ann,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Edw.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Miss  Mary,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Wilder,  Hon.  Marshall  P.,  Dorch. 
Winslow,  Iklrs.  George,  Roxbury. 


Winsor,  J.  B.,  Providence,  R.I. 
Winthrop,  Hon.  Robert  C,  Boston. 
Winthrop,  Mrs.  Robert  C,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Woods,  Henry,  Paris,  France. 
Worthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 
Young,  Charles  L.,  Boston. 


PROCEEDINGS 


AMUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  CORPOEATION. 


Boston,  October  12,  1881. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the  president, 
Dr.  Samuel  Eliot,  at  3  p.m. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  annual  meeting  were  read  by 
the  secretary,  and  declared  approved. 

The  report  of  the  trustees  and  that  of  the  director 
were  presented,  accepted,  and  ordered  to  be  printed 
with  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 

The  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  presented  by 
Mr.  John  S.  D wight,  were  unanimously  passed  :  — 

"  In  view  of  the  fact  that  this  institution  has  now  entered  upon 
the  fiftieth  year  of  its  existence,  and  in  accordance  with  the  sug- 
gestions contained  in  the  annual  report  of  the  trustees,  as  well  as 
in  the  very  interesting  and  instructive  history  of  all  that  Europe 
and  America  have  done  toward  the  education  of  the  blind,  to 
which  we  have  just  listened  from  the  director,  it  is  hereby 

'■''  Resolved,  1,  that  the  semi-centennial  anniversarj^  of  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind  shall 
be  publicly-  celebrated  at  the  close  of  the  current  school  year,  in 
June,  1882,  b}'  appropriate  exercises,  in  which  pupils,  teachers, 
graduates,  and  friends  of  the  school  shall  take  part  in  one  of  the 
largest  halls  or  theatres  of  the  oMy. 

'''•Resolved,  2,  that  the  chair  do  here  and  now  appoint  three 


12  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

members  of  the  corporation,  who  shall  mature  the  plan,  and  have 
charge  of  all  the  arrangements  of  the  festival." 

Messrs.  D wight,  William  F.  Apthorp,  and  Samuel 
M.  Quincy,  were  appointed  by  the  president  to  arrange 
for  the  festival. 

Mr.  Dwight  presented  also  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  unanimously  accepted :  — 

"  Resolved,  that  the  corporation  feels  it  a  pleasant  dut}',  in  the 
name  of  the  school,  past  and  present,  and  of  all  friends  of  the 
blind,  to  acknowledge  a  long-standing  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
musical  societies  of  Boston,  which  have  j-ear  after  3'ear  freely  ex- 
tended to  the  pupils  of  this  institution  such  abundant  opportuni- 
ties of  hearing  the  best  performances  of  what  is  best  in  music ; 
and  equallj'  to  the  many  individual  artists  who  have  sent  them  in- 
vitations to  their  concerts,  or  have  even  sought  them  here  in  their 
school  home,  and  sung  and  played  to  them  through  many  a  de- 
lightful evening  in  their  own  music-hall."  [For  the  names  of 
societies  and  artists,  see  list  of  acknowledgments,  pp.  121,  122  and 
123.] 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Samuel  G.  Snelling,  the  following 
votes  were  unanimously  passed :  — 

"  Voted,  that  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  be  hereby  tendered 
to  the  contributors  to  the  printing  fund,  to  whose  kindness  and 
generosit}'  the  blind  will  be  forever  indebted  ;  and  to  the  editors  of 
the  leading  newspapers  for  the  efficient  and  disinterested  aid 
which  the}'  have  so  promptly  and  gratuitously-  rendered. 

"  Voted,  that  further  subscriptions  be  solicited  to  the  amount  of 
thirtj'-eight  thousand  dollars,  which  will  complete  the  sum  of  the 
printing  endowment  asked  for  by  the  board  of  trustees." 

All  the  officers  of  the  past  year  were  then  re-elected, 
with  the  exception  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson, 
who  expressed  a  wish  to  retire,  and  in  whose  place  Mr. 
Edward  Jackson,  his  brother,  was  chosen. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  13 

' '  Voted,  that  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  be  presented  to  the 
retiring  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson,  for  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duties,  and  for  the  interest  which  he  has  manifested  in  the 
prosperity  of  the  institution." 

The  following  persons  were  afterwards  added  to  the 
list  of  the  corporators  by  a  unanimous  vote :  A.  C. 
Wheelwright,  Benjamin  P.  Cheney,  Edward  H.  Clement, 
Samuel  T.  Cobb,  Miss  L.  E.  Hall,  and  Miss  Eveline 
A.  Everett. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved,  and  the  members  of 
the  corporation  proceeded,  with  the  mvited  guests,  to 
visit  the  school  and  inspect  the  premises. 

M.   ANAGNOS, 

Secretary. 


Commonujcaltl)  of  ilta00ac!)U0ett0. 


EEPOET  OF  THE  TEUSTEES. 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Sept.  30,  1881, 

To  the  Members  of  the  Corporation: 

Gentlemen^  —  The  undersigned  trustees  respectfully 
submit  to  your  consideration  their  fiftieth  annual  re- 
port for  the  financial  year  ending  September  30,  1881. 

This  communication  embraces  a  brief  account  of  their 
transactions  and  of  the  progress  and  present  condition 
of  the  school,  and  is  accompanied  by  such  documents  as 
are  required  by  law  and  custom. 

It  is  with  a  feeling  of  sincere  pleasure  that  we  pro- 
ceed to  place  on  record  the  events  of  the  past  year. 
On  no  former  occasion  have  circumstances  so  auspicious 
attended  the  performance  of  this  duty. 

A  high  degree  of  prosperity  has  been  enjoyed  by  the 
institution.  Its  objects  have  been  pursued  with  dili- 
gence and  success,  and  the  state  of  its  affairs  is  gen- 
erally satisfactory. 

The  present  total  number  of  blind  persons  immedi- 


16  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

ately  connected  with  the  institution,  in  all  its  depart- 
ments, as  pupils,  instructors,  employes  and  work  men 
and  women,  is  162. 

The  health  of  the  household  has  again  been  remark- 
ably good,  and  it  is  a  cause  of  much  thankfulness  that 
neither  any  of  the  epidemic  diseases  which  have  been 
prevalent  in  the  community,  nor  death,  have  entered 
the  school. 

Order  and  discipline  have  been  admirably  preserved 
without  resort  to  severe  or  harsh  measures,  and  the 
march  of  progress  is  observable  in  all  the  departments 
of  the  institution. 

In  the  management  of  the  affau's  of  the  school  there 
is  a  fixed  and  definite  policy,  which  consists  in  adhering 
to  what  is  good,  in  improving  what  is  imperfect,  in 
strengthening  what  is  weak  but  useful,  and  in  adopting 
what  is  pointed  out  by  the  light  of  experience  and 
science  as  best  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  blind. 

The  trustees  express  themselves  with  entire  approba- 
tion with  regard  to  the  state  of  the  school,  the  fidelity 
and  efficiency  with  which  instruction  has  been  imparted, 
and  the  disposition  and  capacity  of  the  greater  portion 
of  the  pupils  to  profit  by  it.  They  feel  that  a  great 
amount  of  good  work  has  been  accomplished,  and  that 
the  establishment  has  continued  to  dispense  among  the 
blind  of  New  England  intelligence  and  culture,  making 
them  diff'usive  as  sunshine,  causing  them  to  penetrate 
into  every  hamlet  and  dwelling,  and,  like  the  vernal 
sun,  quickening  into  life  the  seeds  of  usefulness  and 
worth,  wherever  the  prodigal  hand  of  natiu-e  may  have 
scattered  them. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  17 

Present  State  of  the  School. 

The  institution  continues  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion, and  its  influence  and  importance  as  the  most  ef- 
fective agency  for  developing  the  caj)acities  of  the  blind, 
and  enabUng  them  to  become  independent  workers  with 
hand  and  brain,  increase  from  year  to  year. 

The  estabUshment  is  provided  with  appliances  and 
apparatus  of  the  most  approved  kind,  and  is  well  ap- 
pointed in  all  its  departments,  which  are  so  arranged 
as  to  form  a  chister  of  fruitful  branches  to  crown  the 
solid  trunk  of  the  parent  tree. 

The  business  of  the  school  has  been  carried  on  in  a 
very  satisfactory  manner,  and  the  results  of  its  workings, 
which  have  been  witnessed  from  time  to  time  during 
the  year  by  members  of  our  board,  have  Ueen  thorough 
and  solid.  This  was  manifestly  shown  in  the  searching 
examinations,  and  at  the  graduating  exercises,  which 
were  held  at  the  close  of  the  term  in  the  music-hall  of 
the  institution. 

Few  occasions  could  be  more  interesting  and  gratify- 
ing than  these  exercises.  They  were  attended  by  a 
select  and  cultivated  audience,  and  proved  enjoyable  in 
every  particular.  The  pupils  showed  careful  training, 
and  proficiency  in  their  Hterary  studies  and  music ;  and, 
as  one  of  the  leading  newspapers  said,  seemed  to  stand 
quite  on  a  par  with  seeing  youth  of  the  same  age ; 
the  compositions  and  essays  which  they  read  displayed 
excellent  taste  and  good  culture ;  and  their  bearing  and 
appearance  were  everything  that  could  be  desired. 

The  interest  of  the  occasion  was  enhanced  by  the 
eloquent  and  appropriate  remarks  of  the  president  of 


18  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  corporation,  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot  (who  presented  the 
diplomas  to  the  graduates),  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe, 
Hon.  A.  W.  Beard  (collector  of  the  port),  Rev.  Phillips 
Brooks,  D.D.,  Col.  T.  W.  Higginson,  and  Mr.  William 
H.  Baldwin. 

Owing  to  the  smallness  of  our  hall,  the  invitations  to 
the  exercises  were  limited  to  the  benefactors  and  imme- 
diate friends  of  the  institution,  and  a  large  number  of 
eager  applications  for  admission  were  necessarily  re- 
fused. This  circumstance  was  certainly  very  disadvan- 
tageous, and  no  one  could  regret  it  more  deeply  and 
more  sincerely  than  the  authorities  of  the  institution. 

Finances. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson,  which 
is  herewith  submitted,  shows  the  financial  condition  of 
the  institution  to  be  very  satisfactory. 

It  appears  therefrom  that  the  amount  of  cash  on 
hand  Oct.  1,  1880,  was, 

On  general  fund     ....         .$1,22743 
Total  receipts  during  the  year.         .         .  77,324  20 


S78,551  63 
Total  expenditures 79,839  79 


Balance  due  to  the  treasurer $1,288  16 

To  aid  in  a  thorough  examination  of  the  financial 
concerns  of  the  establishment,  the  report  of  the  treas- 
urer is  accompanied  by  an  analysis  of  the  steward's 
accounts,  which  gives  specific  information  in  regard  to 
the  principal  articles  consumed,  their  quality,  and  the 
aggregate  price  paid  for  each. 

The  general  work  of  the  establishment  has  been  di- 
rected with  discretion,  and  efficiency  has  been  secured 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  19 

at  a  moderate  cost.  Wise  foresight  and  system  in  all 
things  ;  the  utmost  economy  consistent  with  the  health 
and  comfort  of  the  household ;  care  to  avoid  losses,  and 
judicious  expenditure  of  money,  are  items  of  paramount 
importance  in  the  management  of  the  finances  of  the 
institution,  and  have  received  constant  and  undivided 
attention. 

The  accounts  have  been  regularly  audited  at  the  end 
of  each  month  by  a  special  committee  appointed  by  our 
board  for  the  purpose,  and  have  been  found  properly 
cast  and  correctly  kept. 

The  trustees  take  this  opportunity  of  acknowledging 
their  great  obligation  to  the  treasurer  of  the  corporation, 
Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson,  for  the  diligence,  courtesy  and 
promptness  with  which  he  has  discharged  his  onerous 
duties,  and  for  the  personal  interest  which  he  has  shown 
in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  school. 

Eepairs  and  Improvements. 

The  work  of  renovating  the  interior  of  the  main 
building,  which  was  begun  several  years  since,  has  been 
carried  a  few  steps  forward  during  the  summer  vacation. 

In  the  rotunda,  the  ceiling  and  walls  have  been 
replastered,  painted  and  decorated ;  the  old  and  dilapi- 
dated doors  and  frames  have  been  replaced  by  new  ones 
of  hard  wood;  new  marble  tiles  have  been  laid,  and 
the  whole  appearance  of  this  part  of  the  building  has 
been  refreshed  and  greatly  improved. 

The  large  and  small  reception-rooms  and  the  office 
have  been  wainscotted  with  hard  wood,  replastered  and 
frescoed,  and  all.  the  doors,  frames  and  blinds  in  the 
same  rooms  renewed. 


20  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

One  of  the  boys'  sitting-rooms  has  undergone  a  simi- 
lar process  of  renovation,  and  has  been  made  as  attrac- 
tive as  might  be. 

A  tunnel  has  been  constructed  from  the  southern  to 
the  northern  end  of  the  west  wing  of  the  building  for 
the  purpose  of  running  all  the  steam  and  water  pipes 
through  it,  and  thus  rendering  them  accessible  for 
examination  and  repairs. 

Several  other  alterations  and  improvements  of  a 
mmor  character  have  been  made  during  the  past  year ; 
but  the  high  price  of  labor  and  materials,  and  the  want 
of  funds  at  our  disposal,  have  compelled  us  to  restrict 
our  operations  in  this  dhection  to  a  very  small  area, 
and  to  undertake  a  great  deal  less  than  ought  to  have 
been  done. 

A  desirable  piece  of  land  of  about  forty-one  thou- 
sand square  feet,  adjacent  to  the  lot  on  which  our  stable 
and  the  workshop  for  adults  stand,  and  facing  Fifth 
street,  has  been  purchased  at  a  reasonable  price. 

This  land  is  a  valuable  addition  to  our  grounds,  and 
will  afford  great  facilities  for  the  future  development  of 
the  institution.  There  is  space  enough  upon  it  for  the 
reconstruction  and  re-arrangement  of  the  workshop  and 
the  printing-office,  and  for  the  erection  of  a  kinder- 
garten, or  primary  department,  for  such  poor  little  chil- 
dren as  are  too  young  to  be  received  in  a  mixed  school 
like  ours,  and  are  wasting  away  under  the  rust  of 
neglect  and  the  want  of  sufficient  food  and  proper  care 
and  training. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  21 

Embossing  Books  for  the  Blind. 

We  take  great  pleasure  in  reporting  that  the  work  of 
our  printing  department  has  been  carried  on  during  the 
past  year  witli  unusual  vigor  and  on  a  larger  scale  than 
heretofore,  and  that  ten  new  books  have  been  issued  by 
our  press.  At  no  previous  period  in  the  history  of  this 
enterprise  has  such  activity  been  exhibited,  and  so 
much  matter  embossed  in  so  short  a  time,  as  in  the 
course  of  the  last  eleven  months. 

Our  publications  have  been  mostly  confined  to  two 
series  of  selections  from  the  works  of  British  and 
American  authors :  one  of  prose  and  the  other  of  poetry. 
The  first  of  these  series  comprises  Freeman's  "  Ele- 
mentary History  of  Europe  ;  "  Huxley's  "  Introductory 
Science  Primer  ;  "  Goldsmith's  "  Vicar  of  Wakefield ;  " 
Dickens's  "  Christmas  Carol,"  with  copious  extracts  from 
the  "Pickwick  Papers;"  and  two  volumes  of  brief 
stories,  sketches,  and  essays  selected  from  the  writings 
of  Hawthorne,  Washington  Irving,  Longfellow,  Whit- 
tier,  Holmes,  Lowell,  Thoreau  and  Emerson. 

In  the  second  series  one  volume  is  devoted  to  Pope's 
works,  two  to  Longfellow's,  one  to  Tennyson's,  and 
one  to  Whittier's.  In  each  of  these  four  volumes,  in 
addition  to  a  large  number  of  the  smaller  favorite 
poems,  are  included  such  masterpieces  as  the  "  Essay 
on  Man  "  and  the  "  Rape  of  the  Lock  ; "  "  Evangehne  " 
and  the  "  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish ; "  "  In  Memo- 
riam,"  "Enoch  Arden"  and  the  "Lady  of  Shalott ; " 
"  Snow-bound,"  "  Among  the  Hills  "  and  the  "  Hero." 
A  comprehensive  biographical  and  critical  sketch  of 
each  author  is  prefixed  to  the  selections  from  his  works, 


22  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Both  of  these  series  will  be  continued,  and  a  number 
of  other  books  adapted  to  the  wants  of  juvenile  read- 
ers, as  well  as  to  those  of  advanced  pupils,  are  either  in 
preparation  or  in  contemplation. 

The  first  edition  of  Higginson's  "  History  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,"  which  was  printed  and  electrotyped  at  the 
expense  of  a  generous  friend  and  benefactor  of  the 
blind,  was  received  with  such  eagerness  and  apprecia- 
tion, that  it  was  entirely  exhausted,  and  a  second  one 
has  just  been  issued. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Robert  Treat  Paine, 
jun.,  we  have  in  press  a  volume  of  Lowell's  poems. 
This  is  to  be  followed  by  selections  from  the  works  of 
Holmes,  Bryant,  Emerson,  Scott,  Macaulay,  Moore, 
Byron,  and  others. 

A  collection  of  appliances  and  tools,  which  was 
intended  to  be  used  in  an  establishment  for  embossing 
books  and  manufacturing  tangible  apparatus  for  the 
blind,  was  recently  to  be  sold,  and  we  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  purchasing  such  of  them  as  could  be  made 
serviceable  by  alterations  and  improvements,  effected  at 
a  moderate  additional  expense. 

Our  printing  department  is  now  complete  in  all  its 
equipments,  and  supplied  with  ample  facilities  to  do 
good  and  steady  work  for  many  years  to  come. 

The  Printing  Fund. 

The  necessity  of  a  library,  in  the  more  positive  and 
permanent  sense  of  the  word,  for  the  use  of  the  blind 
has  been  acknowledged  since  the  organization  of  the 
institution ;  and  the  earnest  efforts  of  Dr.  Howe  for  the 
multiplication  of  select  books  in  embossed  print  were 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  23 

unwearied,  and  incessant.  Great  as  was  his  success, 
however,  and  generous  as  had  been  the  response  which 
his  enthusiastic  exertions  met  with,  the  public  mind  was 
hardly  yet  ripe  for  the  idea  of  raising  an  adequate 
endowment,  the  income  of  which  should  be  sufficient  to 
render  our  printing  department  a  perennial  source  of 
happiness  and  improvement  to  the  blind  all  over  the 
country. 

For  the  attainment  of  this  grand  object,  a  movement 
was  inaugurated  last  winter,  which,  fostered  by  the 
distribution  of  a  large  number  of  copies  of  a  circular 
issued  by  our  press  in  raised  print,  and  sustained  by  the 
active  sympathy  and  the  disinterested  aid  of  the  leading 
newspapers,  resulted  in  the  voluntary  contribution  of 
about  seven  thousand  dollars.  The  conjuncture  seemed 
an  opportune  one  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause,  and 
measures  were  taken  to  improve  it. 

On  the  18th  of  March,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  solicit  subscriptions,  to  the  amount  of  seventy-five 
thousand  dollars  in  addition  to  that  which  had  already 
been  contributed,  and  on  the  first  day  of  April  an 
appeal  was  made  at  a  public  meeting,  which  was  held 
for  the  purpose  in  Tremont  Temple.  This  occasion 
was  in  the  highest  sense  characteristic  of  Boston,  and 
proved  exceedingly  interesting.  His  Excellency  Gov- 
ernor Long  presided,  and  made  the  opening  address, 
and  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks,  Rev.  E.  E.  Hale,  Mrs.  Julia 
Ward  Howe,  Rev.  A.  A.  Miner,  Rev.  F.  M.  Ellis,  and 
Rev.  James  Freeman  Clarke  presented  in  the  most  elo- 
quent and  impressive  manner  the  wants  and  claims  of 
the  blind,  supported  by  an  array  of  undisputed  facts 
which  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  rehearse  and  sum 
up  in  this  connection. 


24  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  cost  of  printing  in  relief  very  much  exceeds  that 
of  producing  a  book  in  the  ordinary  way.  The  fact 
that  the  blind  cannot  obtain  a  copy  of  the  Bible  which 
they  can  read  for  less  than  twenty  dollars,  while  seeing 
people  pay  from  twenty-live  to  fifty  cents  for  one,  is  a 
striking  illustration  of  this  point.  But,  even  if  the 
price  of  embossed  books  were  not  so  high,  there  are 
but  very  few  sightless  persons  who  are  so  favored  with 
the  goods  of  this  world  as  to  be  able  to  purchase  them, 
for  blindness  is  usually  begotten  of  poverty,  and  in 
some  instances  it  begets  it.  On  the  other  hand,  a  little 
reflection  will  convince  us  that  they  need  books  more 
than  we  do. 

The  blind  possess  all  the  human  attributes,  and  are 
endowed  with  native  capacities  for  improvement  and 
for  enjoying  the  delights  of  nature.  Their  sentiments, 
feelings,  aff"ections,  desires,  ambitions,  and  aspirations 
are  identical  with  ours ;  but  a  part  of  the  objective 
knowledge  which  ministers  to  all  these,  and  which  is 
specially  the  legitimate  product  of  the  power  of  vit^ion, 
is  not  so  easily  attainable  in  their  case.  The  majestic 
forms  of  the  clouds,  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  the  plu- 
mage of  the  bu'ds,  the  tints  of  the  flowers,  all  the  glad 
outward  world,  the  varieties  of  trees  and  plants,  the 
products  of  art,  the  wonders  of  nature,  and  the  marvel- 
lous creations  of  man's  genius,  so  far  as  the  physical 
perceptions  are  concerned,  fire  a  blank  to  the  blind. 
The  dark  veil  which  covers  their  eyes  renders  all  the 
vast  wealth  of  information  and  the  means  of  daily  com- 
fort and  enjoyment  which  are  derived  from  the  mere 
sight  of  natural  objects  inaccessible  to  them.  Wher- 
ever they  go   they  carry  with  them  their  chamber  of 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  25 

darkness  and  isolation.  Their  night  is  in  many  cases  a 
continuous  one  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  They 
long,  therefore,  for  intellectual  light,  for  the  means  of 
cheering  their  lonely  hours,  of  lightening  the  burden 
of  their  calamity,  and  of  brightening  their  existence. 
They  pine  and  parch  within  a  very  short  distance  of  the 
fountain.  Dr.  Brooks  has  aptly  likened  the  embossed 
page  to  the  "  window  through  which  the  blind  can  look 
upon  the  great  world  of  wit  and  wisdom,  poetiy  and 
science."  But  the  supply  of  such  publications  as  are 
calculated  to  introduce  into  the  mind  of  the  blind, 
through  the  tips  of  their  fingers,  a  flood  of  light  is 
exceed mgly  inadequate  to  the  evident  need.  When 
the  strong  and  striking  contrast  between  the  library  of 
the  sightless  and  that  of  the  seeing  is  remembered,  the 
scantiness  of  the  one  is  pathetic  as  compared  with  the 
overflowing  abundance  of  the  other.  One  hundred 
books  stand  on  the  shelves  of  our  institution,  some  of 
which  are  nearly  worn  out  by  constant  use  :  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety  thousand  on  those  of  the  public  li- 
brary of  the  city  of  Boston.  In  order  to  remedy  this 
inequality,  and  to  provide  the  inestimable  blessing  for 
the  blind  of  an  adequate  library,  we  have  brought  their 
case  before  the  public,  and  have  appealed  for  a  fund  of 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  which,  added  to  previous 
contributions  and  donations,  would  make  the  total 
amount  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  income  of 
this  endowment  will  enable  us  to  issue  from  ten  to 
twelve  new  books  every  year,  and  to  place  sets  of  them 
in  the  leading  libraries  of  New  England  and  of  all  the 
large  cities  of  the  union  for  free  use,  thus  rendering 
embossed  publications  as  accessible  to  the  sightless  as 
works  in  common  print  are  to  those  who  can  see. 


26  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Perhaps  no  feature  in  the  whole  history  of  the  devel- 
opment of  the  educational  system  for  the  blind  is  of 
greater  interest  or  more  full  of  encouragement  than  the 
generous  spirit  with  which  the  plan  of  raising  a  per- 
manent printing-fund  was  received  by  the  community. 
The  energy,  nay  the  enthusiasm,  which  this  project  has 
awakened  is  only  comparable  to  that  benevolent  activ- 
ity which  marked  the  beginnings  of  the  first  movement 
in  behalf  of  the  blind,  of  which  the  present  is  the  legiti- 
mate outcome  and  continuation.  Its  spirit  is  indeed 
precisely  identical  with  that  which  prompted  the  early 
efforts  in  this  field  of  beneficence.  The  original  instruc- 
tors said :  "  Give  us  light  to  clear  these  darkened  paths." 
To-day  we  say :  "  Give  us  more  oil  to  keep  that  light 
burning."  Like  the  perpetual  lamp  of  the  sanctuary, 
it  must  not  be  suff"ered  to  go  out  for  an  instant ;  and  it 
is  our  constant  aim  and  desire  to  preserve  its  bright 
flame.  But  no  man  can  work  alone  and  unaided,  how- 
ever sacred  and  important  his  task  ;  and  the  helping 
hands  which  have  been  stretched  forth  to  us  have 
brought  the  attainment  of  our  object  as  near  as  could 
be  reasonably  expected  within  so  short  a  space  of  time. 

Words  fail  to  express  the  deep  gratitude  of  the  blind 
towards  these  their  generous  benefactors ;  but  thek 
brightened  minds,  like  polished  mirrors,  will  reflect, 
through  the  far  years,  the  goodness  and  beauty  which 
radiate  towards  them  from  the  noble  hearts  of  their 
friends  and  well-wishers.  To  the  beneficent  kindness 
of  these  munificent  donors  the  projected  library  for  the 
blind  will  stand  as  a  monument  in  perpetuity.  We 
may  liken  it  to  a  grand  column  of  light  and  wisdom  ; 
but  the  capital  is  still  missing.     Thirty-eight  thousand 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  27 

dollars  are  wanting  to  complete  it.  Let  us  appeal  once 
more  for  this  amount,  hoping  that  the  generous  and 
the  benevolent  of  the  community  will  respond  readily 
to  the  need  of  the  blind,  and  will  not  deny  to  them  the 
whole  loaf  of  that  bread  of  intellectual  life  for  which 
they  ask. 

Work  Department  for  Adults. 

A  fair  amount  of  work  has  been  done  in  this  depart- 
ment during  the  past  year,  but  its  financial  condition  is 
still  far  from  satisfactory. 

The  receipts  from  all  sources,  from  the  first  day  of 
October,  1880,  to  the  30th  of  September,  1881,  have 
amounted  to  $14, 118. 41,  being  more  by  $175.34  than 
those  of  the  previous  year. 

The  expenses  for  materials,  labor,  and  all  other  items 
have  been  |15,658.69. 

Thus  the  balance  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  sheet  is 
$1,186.33,  whereas  the  sum  of  $990.03  was  paid  out  of 
the  treasury  of  the  institution  the  previous  year. 

The  number  of  blind  persons  employed  in  this  depart- 
ment was  19  ;  and  the  amount  paid  in  cash  to  them,  as 
wages  for  their  work,  was  $3,435.03,  or  $248.31  more 
than  in  1880. 

This  department  was  never  designed  as  a  source  of 
income  to  the  institution.  Its  main  object  is  to  assist 
adult  blind  persons  in  deriving  support  from  their  own 
industry,  by  providing  them  with  more  regular  work 
than  they  would  be  able  to  obtain  by  their  own  indi- 
vidual efforts.  This  laudable  end  has  been  persistently 
pursued  amidst  great  and  discouraging  difficulties,  and 
a    number  of  respectable    men  and  women  have  been 


28  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

rescued  from  the  grasp  of  poverty  and  the  degradation 
of  dependence  upon  alms. 

But  this  department  is  far  from  being  self-sustaining : 
on  the  contrary,  it  has  for  many  years  entailed  a  heavy 
loss  upon  the  institution ;  and  we  feel  again  constrained 
to  request  our  fellow-citizens  to  come  to  our  relief  by 
increasing  their  patronage,  and  extending  orders  for 
goods  made  in  our  workshops,  which  we  warrant  to  be 
such  as  they  are  represented  in  every  respect. 

Exhibits  of  the  Work  of  the  Institution. 

The  fine  exhibit  of  articles  of  fancy-work,  books  in 
raised  print,  and  educational  appliances,  sent  last  year 
to  the  world's  fair  at  Melbourne,  Australia,  has  re- 
ceived due  notice,  and  we  are  informed  that  a  medal 
has  been  awarded  to  the  institution.  This  new  mark  of 
approbation  is  quite  gratifying,  and  bears  witness  to  the 
spirit  of  progress  and  improvement  which  permeates 
the  various  departments  of  the  establishment. 

We  have  also  another  exhibit  at  the  Mechanics'  Fair 
this  year,  which  is  presided  over  by  one  of  the  gradu- 
ates of  the  school.  It  represents  the  work  of  the  insti- 
tution in  several  of  its  branches ;  and  comprises  mat- 
tresses, pillows,  door-mats,  cushions,  specimens  of 
embossed  books  issued  by  our  press,  maps  in  relief,  and 
fancy-work  from  the  girls'  department,  ranging  all  the 
way  from  fine  lace  to  hammocks  and  Indian  baskets. 
The  whole  makes  an  attractive  display. 

Semi-centennial  Anniversary. 

The  institution  entered  upon  the  fiftieth  year  of  its 
organization  in  August  last,  and  with  the  close  of  the 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  29 

present  school  session  will  occur  the  first  semi-centen- 
nial anniversary  of  its  existence. 

The  time  which  has  elapsed  since  then  has  seen 
wondrous  changes ;  and  in  no  instance  more  remarkable 
than  in  the  matter  of  the  education  of  the  blind.  The 
little  band  of  six  pupils  first  gathered  together  by  Dr. 
Howe,  in  his  father's  house  on  Pleasant  street,  has 
expanded  into  whole  ranks  and  files  of  pupils,  gradu- 
ates and  candidates.  Useful  blind  citizens  have  finished 
their  honored  career  and  gone  to  their  graves.  Young 
children  are  constantly  coming  to  us  for  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  education.  Music  teachers,  tuners  of  piano- 
fortes, mechanics,  men  of  business,  trained  and  fitted 
for  the  efficient  practice  of  their  respective  professions 
and  arts  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  school,  ply 
their  avocations  actively  in  all  the  towns  and  villages  of 
New  England.  The  timid  blind  child,  hardly  trusting 
his  feet  to  move  alone,  or  his  hands  to  trace  the  first 
letters  of  the  al]3habet,  to-day  walks  among  us  as  the 
self-poised,  self-dependent  man,  managing  his  own 
aff'au's,  assisting  in  those  of  others,  scorning  the  idea  of 
being  a  recipient  of  alms,  helpful,  respected,  intelligent 
and  industrious. 

In  looking  over  the  annals  of  the  institution,  and 
recounting  the  changes  through  which  it  has  passed 
and  the  work  it  has  accomplished,  we  cannot  but  see 
that  it  has  been  to  the  blind  of  New  England  what  the 
heart  is  to  the  human  body,  —  the  centre  and  source  of 
their  mental  vitality  and  power,  the  spot  from  which 
the  young,  fresh,  and  bright  stream  of  intellectual  and 
moral  light  is  distributed  in  every  direction  to  strengthen 
their  character,  awaken  their  dormant  powers,  and  illu- 
mine their  darkened  path  in  life. 


30  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

The  report  of  the  director,  which  is  herewith  submit- 
ted, instead  of  being  confined  to  a  review  of  the  work 
of  the  past  year,  with  suggestions  for  changes  and 
improvements,  is  mostly  devoted  to  a  brief  historical 
sketch  of  the  origin,  rise  and  progress  of  the  science 
of  the  education  of  the  blind,  from  the  earliest  times  to 
this  day.  As  the  present  is  the  fiftieth  report  of  the  in- 
stitution, —  the  first  one  having  been  issued  in  the  form 
of  an  address  a  few  months  after  its  organization,  —  the 
occasion  seems  eminently  suitable  for  such  an  account. 

We  trust  that  the  corporation  will  also  take  the 
necessary  measures  to  celebrate  the  semi-centennial  anni- 
versary of  the  establishment  at  the  close  of  the  school 
year  in  a  fitting  manner. 

Closing  Kemarks. 

Before  taking  leave  of  the  corporation,  we  would  fain 
express  our  conviction  that  the  institution  is  success- 
fully performing  the  work  assigned  to  it,  as  one  of  the 
agencies  which  have  for  their  object  the  weal  of  hu- 
manity, and  that  it  deserves  the  confidence,  sympathy 
and  support  of  the  community.  As  regards  the  number 
of  those  who  are  benefited  by  it,  and  the  degree  of 
relief  which  their  affliction  receives  from  its  ministra- 
tions, there  is,  in  our  opinion,  no  manifestation  of 
benevolence  more  striking,  and  no  enterprise  of  philan- 
thropy more  important,  than  that  Avhich  raises  the  blind 
to  a  participation  in  the  enjoyments  and  responsibilities 
of  life. 

It  is  gratifying  to  remark  that  the  spkit  which  seems 
to  prevail  everywhere  in  the  establishment  is  that  of  a 
well-ordered   and  harmonious  home,  and  that  the  end 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  31 

kept  in  view  by  its  management  is  to  supply  to  the 
pupils  those  kindly  domestic  influences  which  are  so 
important  in  the  education  of  youth.  The  school  is 
particularly  fortunate  in  having  its  work  carried  on  by  a 
band  of  teachers  and  officers  highly  qualified  for  the 
performance  of  the  duties  of  their  respective  places. 
The  general  improvement  made  under  their  care  and 
exertions  is  not  a  mere  sign  of  spasmodic  activity,  but  a 
solid  manifestation  of  the  steady  application  of  a  well- 
conceived  and  matured  j^lan. 

Conscious  that  the  duties  devolving  upon  our  board 
have  been  faithfully  discharged,  we  gladly  invite  exami- 
nation and  criticism  of  our  administration  of  the  affairs 
of  the  institution. 

In  conclusion,  we  would  tender  our  thanks  and  grate- 
ful acknowledgments  to  the  legislative  bodies  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  the  other  states  of  New  England,  and  to 
all  who  have  afforded  their  assistance  and  cooperation 
in  the  promotion  of  the  great  cause  of  the  education  of 
the  blind. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

ROBERT  E.  APTPIORP, 
JOHN   S.  DWIGHT, 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER, 
J.  THEODORE  HEARD, 
HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON, 
JAMES   H.  MEANS, 
ROBERT   TREAT   PAINE,  Jun., 
EDWARD   N.  PERKINS, 
SAMUEL  M.    QUINCY, 
SAMUEL   G.  SNELLING, 
JAMES    STURGIS, 
GEORGE  W.  WALES, 

•  Trustees. 


32  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


THE  EEPOET  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To  THE  Trustees. 

Gentlemen^  —  With  the  revolution  of  another  year,  it 
has  again  become  my  duty  to  submit  to  your  board  a 
report  of  the  progress  and  present  condition  of  the  insti- 
tution, touching  incidentally  upon  such  topics  as  may 
be  germane  to  the  education  of  the  blind. 

It  is  a  pleasant  and  encouraging  task  to  review  the 
work  of  the  past  year,  for  it  shows  a  steady  progress  in 
its  character  and  a  preponderance  of  good  in  its  results. 

The  method  of  conducting  the  affairs  of  the  institu- 
tion, the  daily  routine  of  its  internal  life,  the  system  of 
instruction,  and  the  general  principles  upon  which  the 
physical,  intellectual  and  moral  training  of  the  pupils 
is  based,  although  modified  and  improved  in  some  of 
their  details,  have,  in  the  main,  been  preserved  the 
same  as  heretofore. 

The  house  has  been  kept  in  good  condition ;  the 
pupils  have  been  properly  cared  for ;  and  additional 
facilities,  of  more  or  less  importance,  for  the  efficient 
prosecution  of  our  work,  have  been  introduced  in  nearly 
every  department  of  the  establishment. 

Progress  in  knowledge,  good  order,  happiness  and 
contentment,  resulting  from  a  judicious  division  of  their 
time  into  hours  of  study  and  practice,  labor  and  amuse- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  33 

ment,  exercise  and  rest,  is  noticeable  among  the  schol- 
ars, and  may  be  considered  as  the  legitimate  fruit  of  the 
well-matured  plans  and  earnest  endeavors  of  the  teach- 
ers and  officers  of  the  institution. 

Increased  experience  in  our  work  stimulates  our 
energies  and  quickens  our  zeal  for  its  more  thorough 
and  satisfactory  performance.  Full  well  we  know  that 
we  are  far  from  having  reached  the  highest  attainable 
point ;  and  yet  we  cannot  but  hope  that  the  amount  of 
positive  good  gained,  and  of  evil  removed,  through  the 
agency  of  the  school  from  year  to  year,  is  steadily 
increasing.  A  mere  repetition,  however,  in  a  perfunc- 
tory fashion,  of  what  has  hitherto  been  done,  or  the 
performance  of  approximately  the  same  work  in  a  some- 
what better  manner,  is  not  sufficient.  In  order  to 
advance  the  cause  of  the  education  of  the  blind,  and 
bring  it  within  the  limits  indicated  by  science  and  pre- 
scribed by  the  nature  of  their  case,  we  must  strive  to 
overcome  more  difficulties,  and  to  surmount  every  obsta- 
cle that  can  be  reached  by  human  perseverance. 

Number  of  Inmates. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected  with 
the  various  departments  of  the  institution  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  past  year,  as  teachers,  pupils,  employes,  and 
work  men  and  women,  was  156.  There  have  since  been 
admitted  27;  21  have  been  discharged,  making  the 
present  total  number  162.  Of  these,  114  are  in  the 
school  proper,  and  18  in  the  workshop  for  adults. 

The  first  class  includes  128  boys  and  girls,  enrolled 
as  pupils,  13  teachers,  and  3  domestics.  Of  the  pupils 
there  are  now  109  in  attendance;   19  being  temporarily 

5 


34  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

absent  on  account  of  iUness,  or  from  various  other 
causes. 

The  second  class  comprises  14  men  and  4  women, 
employed  in  the  industrial  department  for  adults. 

The  number  of  pupils  is  rapidly  increasing.  There 
never  were  so  many  young  children,  and  particularly 
little  ghls,  received  at  the  beginning  of  any  previous 
school  session  as  this  year.  Most  of  them  seem  to  be 
quite  intelligent  and  promising,  while  in  a  few  cases  the 
disease  which  has  caused  the  loss  of  sight  has  under- 
mined the  constitution  and  weakened  the  mental  facul- 
ties. 

Sanitary  Condition. 

It  is  a  source  of  great  jDleasure  to  be  able  to  report 
again  that  during  the  past  year  the  school  has  not  been 
visited  by  death,  and  that  the  members  of  the  household 
have  been  entirely  free  from  epidemic  or  other  diseases. 

We  are,  no  doubt,  greatly  indebted  to  the  salubrity 
of  the  location  of  the  institution  for  the  general  preva- 
lence of  health,  which  is  the  more  remarkable  from  the 
fact  that  many  of  our  inmates  are  victims  of  scrofula, 
or  have  a  predisposition  to  some  form  of  disease,  often, 
perhaps,  that  which  originally  caused  theii-  blindness. 
But  regularity  of  living,  wholesomeness  of  diet,  a 
proper  regard  to  personal  habits,  and  prompt  attention 
to  ordinary  ailments,  together  with  exercise  in  the  open 
air  and  under  shelter,  serve  in  many  cases  to  mitigate  or 
remove  these  tendencies,  and  conduce  to  the  good  meas- 
ure of  health  which  our  pupils  enjoy,  as  well  as  to  their 
success  in  their  various  pursuits. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  35 

Scope  of  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

"  Sightless  to  see  and  judge  through  judgment's  e3'es, 
To  make  four  senses  do  the  work  of  five, 
To  arm  the  mind  for  hopeful  enterprise, 

Are  lights  to  him  who  doth  in  darkness  live." 

These  words  of  an  old  poet  concisely  express  and 
strikingly  set  forth  the  object  of  the  education  of  the 
blind.  They  show  the  nature  of  its  work  and  the  ex- 
tent of  its  scope.  They  indicate  that  it  should  be 
broad  in  its  aims,  comprehensive  in  its  purposes,  and 
thorough  in  its  character. 

A  system  for  the  efficient  and  proper  training  of  the 
blind,  in  order  to  be  successful  and  productive  of  good 
results,  should  be  adapted  to  the  special  requirements 
of  their  case,  and  calculated  to  meet  the  exigencies 
resulting  from  their  affliction,  and  to  promote  the  full 
development  of  their  remaining  faculties  and  the  har- 
monious growth  of  their  powers.  It  should  constitute 
a  sort  of  physical,  intellectual  and  moral  gymnasium, 
preparatory  for  the  great  struggle  in  the  arena  of  life, 
and  should  include  that  finishing  instruction  as  members 
of  society  which  SchiUer  designated  as  the  "  education 
of  the  human  race,"  consisting  of  action,  conduct,  self- 
culture,  self-control,  —  all  that  tends  to  discipline  a  man 
truly,  and  fit  him  for  the  proper  performance  of  his 
duties  and  for  the  business  of  life.  A  mere  literary 
drill,  or  any  exclusive  and  one-sided  accomplishment, 
cannot  do  this  for  the  blind.  It  will  prove  insufficient 
and  incomplete  at  its  best.  Bacon  observes,  with  his 
usual  weight  of  words,  that  "  studies  teach  not  their 
use ;    but  there  is  a  wisdom  without  them  and   above 


36  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

them,  won  by  observation ; "  and  all  experience  serves 
to  illustrate  and  enforce  the  lesson,  that  a  man  perfects 
himself  by  work  blended  with  reading  ;  and  that  it  is 
life  elevated  by  literature,  action  quickened  by  study, 
and  character  strengthened  by  the  illustrious  examples 
of  biography,  which  tend  perpetually  to  purify  and 
renovate  mankind. 

A  brief  review  of  the  work  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  institution  will  show  that  neither  efforts 
nor  any  means  within  our  reach  have  been  spared  to 
"  arm  the  mind  of  the  blind  for  hopeful  enterprise,"  to 
equip  them  well  to  make  a  successful  struggle  with  the 
odds  that  are  against  them,  and  to  enable  them  to  grap- 
ple resolutely  with  the  difficulties  opposing  their  ad- 
vancement to  usefulness  and  independence. 

Literary  Department. 

The  work  of  this  department  has  been  carried  on 
with  earnestness  and  success ;  and  its  present  condition 
is  highly  satisfactory. 

The  course  of  instruction  marked  out  some  time 
since  has  been  followed,  during  the  past  year,  steadily 
and  with  satisfactory  results. 

The  progress  made  by  the  pupils  in  their  respective 
studies  is  generally  commendable,  and  attests  their  dili- 
gence and  application,  as  well  as  the  skill  and  fidelity  of 
then-  teachers. 

No  means  have  been  spared  during  the  past  year  to 
render  the  school  efficient  in  its  workings,  progressive 
in  its  methods,  well  supplied  with  apparatus  for  tangible 
illustration,  and  complete  in  its  curriculum. 

The  instruction  of  our  teachers  has  been  mostly  given 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  37 

in  the  form  of  direction,  rather  than  in  that  of 
didactics.  They  have  taken  care  that  the  natural  ac- 
tivity of  the  scholars  should  have  an  opportunity  for 
free  exercise. 

Mechanical  teaching  has  been  persistently  avoided ; 
and  the  system  of  requiring  the  pupils  to  commit  stol- 
idly to  memory  the  contents  of  text-books,  to  recite 
meaningless  rules  glibly,  and  to  learn  crude  and  obscure 
statements  of  abstract  theories  and  wordy  definitions  by 
heart,  has  no  place  whatever  in  our  school.  On  the 
contrary,  the  time  is  devoted  to  the  nurture  of  the  intel- 
lectual faculties,  to  the  development  of  the  mental 
powers  from  which  ideas  are  born,  and  to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  those  great  truths  which  relate  to  the  happiness 
of  the  human  race  and  to  the  general  welfare  of  man- 
kind. 

In  the  primary  departments  of  the  school  the  educa- 
tional processes  have  been  preeminently  objective,  syn- 
thetic, inductive,  and  experimental ;  while  in  the  ad- 
vanced divisions  they  have  been  subjective  and  analytic 
as  well,  —  deductive  as  well  as  inductive,  and  philoso- 
phical as  well  as  experimental.  In  the  high  classes,  a 
broad  and  deep  foundation  has  been  laid  for  future 
achievement.  Here  the  pupils  have  attained  a  good 
degree  of  scholarship  and  culture,  which  increases  the 
strength  and  fertilizes  the  resources  of  their  mind. 
Here  they  have  been  taught  how  to  command  their 
powers  and  direct  their  energies.  Here  they  have  been 
furnished  with  all  available  facilities  to  prepare  them- 
selves for  a  useful  career  in  life. 

I  am  exceedingly  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  report  that 
the  corps   of  teachers  has  not  preserved  its  integrity ; 


38  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct 

but  that  two  changes  have  occurred  in  it  during  the 
past  year.  Miss  S.  L.  Bennett,  having  found,  after  a 
few  weeks'  rest,  that  her  strength  was  not  sufficiently 
restored  to  enable  her  to  discharge  her  duties  efficiently 
and  conscientiously,  felt  obliged  to  decline  a  re-appoint- 
ment, and  Miss  Cora  A.  Newton,  of  Fayville,  a  graduate 
of  the  State  Normal  School  at  South  Framingham,  was 
elected  to  fill  her  place.  Miss  M.  L.  P.  Shattuck  re- 
signed a  few  weeks  before  the  commencement  of  the 
term  to  accept  the  principalship  of  the  training-school 
for  girls  at  Haverhill,  and  Miss  Julia  R.  Gilman,  a  lady 
of  long  experience  and  devotion  to  our  work,  was  pro- 
moted as  first  teacher  in  the  boys'  department.  Miss 
Annie  E.  Carnes,  of  Attleborough,  a  graduate  of  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Bridge  water,  was  appointed  to 
fill  the  vacancy  created  by  this  promotion. 

Kindergarten  and  Object-teaching. 

The  blind  usually  experience  great  difficulty,  not  only 
in  getting  a  clear  idea  of  things  from  mere  descriptions, 
but  in  obtaining,  by  feeling,  correct  notions  of  the  forms 
of  objects  to  which  they  have  not  been  accustomed ;  and 
this  is  a  serious  drawback  to  their  acquiring  much  valu- 
able and  practical  information.  This  difficulty  arises 
not  from  any  general  defect  in  their  powers  of  sensation, 
—  for  these  are  in  the  majority  of  cases  not  in  the  least 
aff'ected  by  the  causes  which  produce  blindness,  —  but 
rather  from  the  want  of  a  special  and  thorough  training 
of  the  sense  of  touch. 

To  remedy  this  important  evil  as  far  as  we  may,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  awaken  and  exercise  the  powers  of 
observation,  comparison,  combination,  invention,  mem- 


1881.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  39 

ory,  reflection  and  action,  the  kindergarten  system  and 
object-teaching  have  been  found  among  the  best  and 
most  efficient  auxiliaries ;  and  both  have  received  due 
and  earnest  attention  in  our  school. 

The  means  and  appliances  for  carrying  out  these 
methods  of  instruction  and  training  successfully  in  all 
their  details  have  not  been  wanting,  and  an  impetus 
has  been  given  in  most  branches  of  study  for  acquiring 
knowledge  from  tangible  objects  rather  than  from  mere 
abstract  descriptions. 

Thanks  to  the  kindness  and  generosity  of  the  Misses 
Garlalid  and  Weston,  one  of  our  advanced  scholars.  Miss 
Annie  E.  Poulson,  was  permitted  and  encouraged  to  go 
through  the  regular  course  in  their  excellent  normal 
training  kindergarten,  where  she  graduated,  and  has 
since  aided  very  materially  in  perfecting  the  system 
already  introduced  by  Miss  Delia  Bennett  in  the  gii'ls' 
department. 

The  workings  of  the  system  in  our  school  have  been 
most  beneficent.  Children  who  seemed  entirely  help- 
less, and  had  no  command  whatever  of  their  hands, 
have  been  roused  to  energy  and  activity  by  the  agency 
of  the  kindergarten.  Through  the  simple  but  interest- 
ing and  attractive  occupations  of  block-building,  weav- 
ing, embroidery,  moulding  in  clay,  and  the  like,  they 
have  acquired  a  great  degree  of  muscular  elasticity  and 
manual  dexterity,  which  assists  them  in  tracing  on  the 
maps  with  alacrity,  in  deciphering  the  embossed  print 
easily,  in  tying  the  strings  of  their  shoes  neatly,  in 
stringing  beads  promptly,  in  using  their  needle  adeptly, 
and  in  doing  a  number  of  things  readily  which  they 
would  have  felt  unable  to  undertake  without  this  train- 


40  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

ing.  Modelling  is  particularly  beneficial  to  the  blind: 
it  helps  them,  to  acquire  a  more  or  less  correct  idea  of 
forms  of  various  kinds,  which  it  is  almost  impossible  for 
them  to  obtain  by  the  mere  handling  of  objects. 

Kindergarten  work  may  thus  be  likened  to  the  exer- 
cises given  to  beginners  in  music,  which  prepare  the 
student  for  rendering  difficult  pieces  more  brilliantly ; 
and  no  training  of  primary  classes  of  blind  children  can 
attain  a  high  degree  of  efficiency  without  its  assistance. 

Music  Department. 

Steady  advancement  has  marked  this  important 
branch  of  our  school,  and  a  great  amount  of  practical 
work  has  been  accomplished  in  it  during  the  past  year. 

Music  has  been  taught  in  all  its  branches  both  theo- 
retically and  practically ;  and  its  refining  and  elevating 
influence  has  been  seen  in  the  taste  and  inclinations  of 
those  of  our  pupils  who  hav.e  entered  into  its  study 
with  an  earnest  desu'e  to  overcome  difficulties  and  be 
benefited  by  it. 

The  usual  course  of  instruction  has  been  continued 
during  the  past  year,  with  such  alterations  and  improve- 
ments as  have  seemed  necessary ;  and  the  piano,  har- 
mony, counterpoint  and  composition,  class  and  solo 
singing,  the  church  and  reed  organ,  flute,  clarinet, 
cornet,  and  various  other  wind  instruments,  have  all 
been  taught  by  competent  and  patient  teachers,  and 
with  satisfactory  results. 

Two  new  reed  organs  have  been  recently  purchased, 
and  all  the  instruments  in  our  collection  have  keen  kept 
in  good  repair  and  sound  condition. 

There  has  been  no  want  of  appreciation  of  the  inter- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  41 

nal  means  and  facilities  afforded  by  the  institution  for 
making  good  musicians  and  efficient  teachers  of  our 
pupils  ;  and  those  among  them  who  are  gifted  with 
special  talent,  and  possess  such  general  mental  ability 
as  is  essential  for  the  attainment  of  excellence  in  any 
profession,  advance  rapidly  and  give  promise  of  success 
in  their  career.  But  it  cannot  be  too  strongly  stated 
or  too  often  repeated  that  an  exclusive  and  absorbing 
devotion  to  music,  to  the  neglect  of  other  branches 
of  education,  does  an  in'calculable  amount  of  mischief 
among  the  blind.  It  dwarfs  their  mind,  disturbs  the 
harmony  of  their  development,  contracts  their  intellec- 
tual horizon,  undermines  their  nervous  system,  stunts 
their  physical  growth,  narrows  their  sympathies,  and 
renders  them  unfit  for  the  duties  and  amenities  of  life. 
Illiteracy  among  musicians  is  becoming  so  palpable  and 
crying  an  evil  everywhere,  thwarting  and  degrading 
their  art,  that  a  number  of  distinguished  men  in  Eng- 
land have  recently  organized  themselves  into  an  associa- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  promoting  intellectual  education 
among  those  who  follow  the  study  of  the  "  accord  of 
sweet  sounds  ; "  and  there  is  no  class  of  people  whose 
success  as  music  teachers  and  performers  depends  in  so 
great  a  measure  upon  the  degree  of  mental  discipline 
which  they  have  attained  at  school,  and  the  breadth  of 
theii'  general  knowledge,  as  that  of  the  blind.  With 
them  professional  skiU,  however  perfect  it  may  be  in 
itself,  will  not  find  full  scope  for  display  unless  it  be 
accompanied  by  those  accomplishments  with  which  every 
musician  ought  to  adorn  his  intellect,  and  enhanced  by 
those  moral  beauties  and  graces  which  embellish  the 
character. 


42  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Besides  the  means  for  thorough  instruction  and  prac- 
tice afforded  at  the  institution,  external  opportunities 
for  the  cultivation  and  refinement  of  the  musical  taste 
of  the  pupils,  and  the  development  of  their  artistic 
sense,  have  been  eagerly  sought  and  amply  enjoyed. 
Owing  to  the  kindness  of  the  officers  and  members  of 
the  leading  musical  societies  of  Boston,  to  the  proprie- 
tors of  theatres,  the  managers  of  public  entertainments, 
and  also  to  a  long  chain  of  eminent  musicians  in  the 
city,  —  the  names  of  all  of  whom  will  be  printed  in  the 
list  of  acknowledgments,  —  our  scholars  have  continued 
to  be  generously  permitted  to  attend  the  finest  concerts, 
rehearsals,  operas,  oratorios,  recitals,  and  the  .like,  and 
have  also  been  favored  with  many  exquisite  perform- 
ances given  in  our  own  hall.  The  week  beginning  with 
the  thirtieth  of  January  and  ending  with  the  fifth  of 
February  was  in  this  respect  remarkable.  Our  pupils 
had  the  daily  opportunity  of  enjoying  one  or  two  con- 
certs of  a  high  order.  On  Sunday  evening  they  heard 
Mozart's  "  Requiem,"  and  Beethoven's  "  Mount  of 
Olives,"  by  the  Handel  and  Haydn  society.  On  Mon- 
day evening  they  attended  a  concert  by  ]\Ir.  Georg 
Henschel,  in  Tremont  Temple.  On  Tuesday  afternoon 
they  were  invited  to  an  organ  recital  in  the  same  place ; 
and  in  the  evening  they  had  a  musical  entertainment  in 
our  own  hall,  given  by  M.  A.  De  Seve,  the  violinist, 
and  M.  Otto  Bendix,  pianist,  with  the  assistance  of  Miss 
Sarah  Winslow,  Mrs.  H.  T.  Spooner,  and  Miss  Daisy 
Terry,  of  Rome.  On  Wednesday  evening  they  attended 
the  Euterpe  concert.  On  Thursday  afternoon  they 
heard  the  Harvard  symphony  concert,  and  in  the  even- 
ing had  another  interesting  entertainment  in  our  hall. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  43 

given  by  Mr.  George  Parker,  of  King's  chapel,  and 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Fenderson,  of  South  Boston.  On  Friday 
afternoon  they  were  invited  to  a  concert  of  the  New 
England  conservatory,  and  in  the  evening  to  one  of  the 
Apollo  club.  On  Saturday  evening  they  attended  Mr. 
Arthur  Foote's  piano  recital.  This  was,  of  course,  an 
avalanche  of  opportunities  of  uncommon  occurrence  ; 
but  I  am  sure  that  there  is  no  city  in  the  whole  civil- 
ized world  in  which  the  blind  enjoy  one-half  of  the 
advantages  which  are  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  our 
scholars  by  the  musical  organizations  of  Boston. 

Tuning  Department. 

The  art  of  tuning  pianofortes  was  introduced  into  this 
institution  a  few  years  after  its  organization  as  a  lucra- 
tive employment  for  the  blind ;  and  as  early  as  1837  the 
trustees  were  able  to  announce,  in  their  fifth  annual 
report,  that  the  pupils  were  prepared  to  keep  instru- 
ments in  order,  by  the  year,  at  a  reasonable  rate,  and 
that  their  "  work  was  warranted  to  give  satisfaction  to 
competent  judges." 

Experience  has  since  confirmed  the  value  of  the 
tuning  department  as  one  of  the  most  important 
branches  in  our  system  of  training ;  and  it  has  re- 
ceived all  the  attention  which  its  practical  aim  and 
useful  purposes  merit. 

The  instruction  given  in  this  department  during  the 
past  year  has  been  as  thorough  and  systematic  as  here- 
tofore, and  the  results  have  been  quite  satisfactory. 

The  pupils  have  had  excellent  opportunities  for  a 
careful  study  and  steady  practice  of  the  art  of  tuning ; 
and  those  of  the  graduates  who  have  mastered  it  in  all 


44  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

its  details  meet  with  favor  and  encouragement  from  the 
pubHc,  and  are,  as  a  whole,  successful. 

It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  that  the  care  of  the 
pianofortes  in  the  public  schools  —  one  hundred  and 
thirty  in  number  —  has  again  for  the  fifth  time  been 
entrusted  to  the  tuning  department  of  this  institution. 
The  confidence  which  this  charge  implies  aids  to 
strengthen  our  tuners  in  the  good  opinion  of  the  pub- 
lic, and  by  so  doing  ensures  to  them  an  increased  and 
extended  patronage  throughout  the  community.  Their 
work  is  in  all  cases  most  carefully  and  satisfactorily 
executed,  and  draws  forth  encomiums  from  their  em- 
ployers, as  well  as  from  some  of  the  best  musicians  in 
the  city,  which  show  that  they  are  worthy  of  the  trust 
reposed  in  their  ability  and  skill. 

Orders  for  tuning  are  coming  in  continually  from 
some  of  the  best  and  most  intelligent  families  in  Boston 
and  the  neighboring  towns,  and  are  invariably  attended 
to  with  promptitude  and  despatch. 

Technical  Department. 

"  Other  creatures  all  day  long 
Rove  idle,  unemplo3'ed,  and  less  need  rest ; 
Man  hath  his  dailj'  work  of  bodj^  or  mind 
Appointed,  which  declares  his  dignity 
And  the  regard  of  Heaven  on  all  his  waj's." 

Milton. 

This  department  continues  to  perform  its  important 
part  in  our  system  of  education,  both  as  an  essential 
element  in  enlarging  the  sphere  of  the  activities  of  the 
blind  and  as  an  agent  in  training  them  in  habits  of 
industry  and  in  the  practice  of  useful  handicraft. 


1881.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  46 

As  has  been  often  stated  in  these  reports,  the  influ- 
ence of  manual  labor  is  of  inestimable  value  to  all  men, 
but  most  especially  to  the  blind.  It  promotes  physical 
strength  and  soundness  of  health.  It  induces  confi- 
dence in  the  use  of  their  bodily  powers,  and  indepen- 
dence of  character.  It  prevents  ihem,  in  the  midst  of 
the  mental  exercises  required  of  them,  from  underesti- 
mating the  practical  needs  of  life.  While  their  studies 
add  to  theu'  intelligence,  increase  their  social  accom- 
plishments, and  dignify  their  calling,  patient  and  daily 
labor  wiU  prove  the  real  source  of  their  material  pros- 
perity. Moreover,  experience  has  proved  that  pupils 
who  are  occupied  a  part  of  the  day  with  books  in  the 
schoolroom,  and  the  remainder  with  tools  in  the  work- 
shop, or  with  practice  on  the  piano  or  in  singing,  make 
about  as  rapid  intellectual  progress  as  those  of  equal 
ability  who  spend  the  whole  time  in  study  and  recita- 
tion. 

For  these  reasons  the  work  has  been  carried  on  dur- 
ing the  past  year  in  both  branches  of  the  technical 
department  with  the  same  earnestness  as  heretofore, 
and  with  equally  satisfactory  results. 

1.  '■ —  Workshop  for  the  Boys. 

The  pupils  in  this  branch  of  the  industrial  depart- 
ment have  been  carefully  trained  during  the  past  year 
in  the  elements  of  handicraft,  and  have  worked  at  the 
usual  trades  with  more  or  less  success,  which  is  attain- 
able in  proportion  to  the  natural  activity  and  aptitude 
of  the  learner. 

Instruction  has  been  given  in  a  simple  and  practical 
way,  and  the  boys  have  been  made  to  feel  that,  from 


46  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  moment  that  they  are  able  to  use  their  hands  skil- 
fully and  manufacture  a  few  plain  articles,  they  enter 
into  the  sphere  of  real  business.  Moreover,  they  are 
constantly  taught,  by  precept  and  example,  that  practical 
industry,  wisely  and  vigorously  applied,  always  produces 
its  due  effects,  and  that  it  carries  a  man  onward,  brings 
out  his  individual  character,  and  stimulates  others  to  a 
like  activity. 

Several  of  the  advanced  pupils,  —  in  whose  case  some 
handicraft  seemed  to  be  the  chief  reliance  for  self-main- 
tenance, —  after  ha\dng  learned  the  rudiments  of  uphol- 
stery in. the  juvenile  department,  have  devoted  most  of 
then-  time  to  the  practice  of  making  mattresses  in  the 
workshop  for  adults,  under  the  immediate  care  of  one 
of  the  experienced  journeymen. 

J/.  —  Workrooms  for  the  Girls. 

It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  report  that  a  higher 
degree  of  efficiency  has  been  attained  in  this  branch  of 
industry  during  the  past  year  than  ever  before,  and 
that  particular  pains  have  been  taken  to  render  the 
workrooms  attractive  and  useful. 

The  girls  have  been  taught  to  sew  and  knit,  both  by 
hand  and  machine,  and  have  given  much  attention  to 
various  kinds  of  fancy-work.  The  articles  manufactured 
by  them  indicate  a  degree  of  skill,  taste  and  thorough- 
ness which  does  honor  to  their  teacher  and  credit  to 
themselves.  Perhaps  the  specimens  which  represent 
the  work  of  our  pupils  in  the  Mechanics'  Fair  this  year 
are  among  the  finest  ever  produced. 

The  art  of  making  Indian  baskets  of  different  sizes 
and  forms  has  aeain  received  as  much  attention  as  the 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  47 

private  affairs  of  an  experienced  instructress  permitted 
her  to  devote  to  it.  It  is  hoped  that  some  of  our  ad- 
vanced scholars  Avill  soon  have  a  fair  opportunity  to 
master  this  trade. 

Our  girls  have  continued  to  take  turns  in  the  lighter 
household  work,  and  a  few  of  them  have  received  such 
special  training  in  the  domestic  circle  as  to  be  able  to 
become  liseful  to  themselves  and  helpful  to  others  in 
this  dkection  in  after-life. 

Department  of  Physical  Training. 

During  the  past  year  our  system  of  physical  training 
has  been  improved  and  perfected  in  many  of  its  details, 
and  has  been  carried  on  with  unusual  efficiency  and 
precision. 

In  addition  to  the  out-door  exercise  at  the  end  of 
every  hour  in  the  day,  the  pupils,  divided  into  six 
classes,  have  repaii-ed  regularly  to  the  gymnasium  at 
fixed  times,  and,  under  the  direction  of  discreet  and 
competent  teachers,  have  gone  through  a  systematic  and 
progressive  course  of  gymnastics. 

These  exercises,  although  mild  in  character  and 
rather  limited  in  some  respects,  are  of  sufficient  force 
and  variety  to  ensure  the  energetic  movement  of  the 
muscles,  and  facilitate  the  vital  process  of  the  destruc- 
tion and  renovation  of  the  tissues  of  the  body,  which  it 
is  the  object  of  physical  training  to  accomplish.  They 
consist  of  calisthenics,  swinging,  jumping,  marching, 
military  drill,  and  the  like,  and  are  calculated  to  give 
strength  to  the  muscles,  elasticity  to  the  limbs,  supple- 
ness to  the  joints,  erectness  of  carriage,  and  above  all, 
and  with  infinitely  greater  force  than  all,  to  promote 


48  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  expansion  of  those  parts  of  the  body,  and  stimulate 
the  activity  of  those  of  its  organs,  upon  the  heakh  and 
fail'  conformation  of  which  happiness  and  success  are  in 
a  great  measure  dependent. 

Experience  and  daily  observation  enable  me  to  state 
confidently  that,  as  the  result  and  legitimate  reward  of 
a  strict  adherence  to  our  system  of  physical  training,  a 
class  of  children  will  leave  us  loftier  in  stature,  firmer 
in  structure,  faker  in  form,  and  better  able  to  perform 
the  duties  and  bear  the  burdens  of  life. 

Collections  of  Tangible  Objects,  Library,  etc. 

The  eff"orts  to  increase  our  collections  of  tangible 
objects  and  apparatus  of  various  kinds,  and  to  multiply 
'  the  books  both  in  raised  and  ordinary  print,  have  con- 
tinued during  the  past  year  without  relaxation,  and  our 
shelves  have  been  enriched  by  many  new  additions. 

The  most  important  of  these  consist  in  a  complete  set 
of  Auzoux's  botanical  models,  several  of  his  other  ana- 
tomical preparations,  and  in  a  large  supply  of  stuff'ed 
animals,  bu'ds,  fishes,  shells,  specimens  of  woods  and 
plants,  fossils,  and  many  curiosities  which  are  calculated 
to  interest  our  children,  and  stimulate  their  minds  to 
inquuy  and  the  examination  of  external  things. 

The  total  number  of  tangible  objects  of  various  kinds 
in  our  collection  is  about  1,261.  Of  these,  501  haA^e 
been  procured  during  the  past  year.  I  avail  myself  of 
this  opportunity  to  express  my  high  appreciation  of  the 
kindness  of  many  friends  of  the  blind,  who  have  volun- 
teered to  assist  them  in  this  du-ection.  I  am  especially 
indebted  to  one  of  our  graduates.  Mr.  Clement  Ryder, 
of  Chelsea,  whose  valuable  contributions  to  our  little 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  49 

museum  include,  among  numerous  other  things,  three 
fine  albatrosses. 

The  present  total  number  of  volumes  in  our  library 
is  5,383.  Of  these,  793  —  450  in  common  and  343  in 
raised  print  —  have  been  obtained  during  the  past  year. 
Most  of  these  books  have  been  selected  with  care,  and 
are  not  only  tastefully  but  substantially  bound. 

Education  of  the  Blind. 
Historical  Sketch  of  its   Origin,  Rise  and  Progress. 

The  institution  has  now  entered  upon  the  last  year 
of  its  first  semi-centennial ;  and  it  seems  fitting  to  give 
in  the  present,  its  fiftieth  report,  an  outline  of  the  his- 
tory of  its  origin,  rise  and  progress. 

But,  in  order  to  take  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
work  of  the  education  of  the  blind,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  glance  at  the  springs  of  its  original  inception  in 
France,  to  go  back  to  the  early  stages  of  its  develop- 
ment, and  to  trace  the  course  of  the  marvellous  stream 
of  beneficence,  which  has  transformed  a  desolate  wilder- 
ness into  a  fair  and  blooming  garden. 

The  present  sketch  will  therefore  treat  concisely  of 
the  following  topics :  — 

First,  of  the  general  condition  of  the  blind  in  the 
past,  and  the  neglect  formerly  endured. 

Second,  of  the  early  attempts  at  their  education  made 
in  different  countries. 

Third,  of  the  organization  of  the  Paris  school  by 
Valentin  Haiiy. 

Fourth,  of  the  establishment  of  similar  institutions  in 
Great  Britain  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

Fifths  of  the  foundation  and  development  of  the  New 
England  institution. 

Sixth,  of  the  education  and  training  of  Laura  Bridg- 
man ;  and, 

Seventh,  of  the  establishment  of  schools  for  the  blind 
throughout  the  United  States  of  America. 

A  brief  comparison  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the 
systems  of  instruction  and  training  for  the  blind  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe  will  bring  this  sketch  to  a  close. 

/.  —  Conditio7i  of  the  Blind  in  the  Past. 

History  has  preserved  sundry  particulars  regarding 
blind  persons  who  have  of  themselves  acquired  great 
knowledge  in  various  branches  of  learning,  and  won 
distinction  in  science,  literature  and  art ;  but  these 
were  phenomenal  cases,  —  mere  shooting  stars  on  the 
horizon  of  deep  darkness,  ignorance  and  neglect.  The 
great  mass  of  this  afflicted  class  were  everywhere  mere 
objects  of  charity,  which,  however  wisely  it  may  be  ad- 
ministered, wounds  the  spuit  while  it  soothes  the  flesh. 
From  Bartimeus  to  Lesueur  —  the  first  pupil  of  Haiiy 
—  the  blind  were  left'  to  procure  a  precarious  subsist- 
ence by  begging  at  the  entrance  of  the  temples,  in  the 
churchyards,  or  by  the  wayside.  Their  infirmity  was 
considered  a  sufficient  cause  to  prevent  them  from  par- 
ticipating in  the  activities  of  life,  and  from  enjoying  the 
blessings  of  instruction  or  the  benefits  of  industry. 
Discouraged  by  the  apparent  incapacity  of  the  blind, 
men  shrank  from  the  task  of  endeavoring  to  combat  the 
ills  which  their  affliction  had  entailed  upon  them,  and 
to  rescue  them  from  the  evils  of  idleness  and  the  hor- 
rors of  intellectual  darkness.     They  were  even  allowed, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  51 

at  times,  to  become  the  objects  of  harsh  and  inhuman 
pastimes  in  the  hands  of  ignorant  and  vicious  people. 
The  following  instance  may  give  some  idea  of  the  con- 
dition and  treatment  of  the  blind  during  the  fifteenth 
century :  — 

In  the  month  of  August,  1425,  under  the  reign  of 
Charles  VII.,  four  blind  men,  cased  in  full  armor  and 
provided  with  clubs,  were  placed  in  a  fenced  square  of 
the  Hotel  d'Armagnac  with  a  large  hog,  which  was  to 
be  the  prize  of  whoever  should  kill  it.  The  struggle 
having  begun,  the  poor  sightless  creatures,  in  endea- 
voring to  hit  the  animal,  struck  each  other  with  such 
violence  that,  but  for  their  armor,  they  would  certainly 
have  killed  each  other.  With  this  cruel  sport  the 
savage  and  unfeeling  spectators  were  much  diverted. 

It  is  curious  that  a  pagan  and  uncivilized  nation 
should  have  set  a  good  example  to  enlightened  chris- 
tians in  this  respect.  It  is  stated,  in  Charlevoix's  his- 
tory, that  in  Japan  the  blind  were  long  ago  made  to 
fill  a  comparatively  useful  sphere.  The  government 
kept  a  large  number  of  them  in  an  establishment,  and 
their  business  was  to  learn  the  history  of  the  empire 
through  all  the  remote  ages,  to  arrange  it  systematic- 
ally by  chapter  and  verse  in  their  memories,  and  to 
transmit  it  from  generation  to  generation,  thus  forming 
a  sort  of  perennial  walking  and  talking  library  of  use- 
ful historical  knowledge. 

ft 

II.  —  Earlij  Attempts  at  the  Education  of  the  Blind. 

During  the  sixteenth  century,  thoughtful  and  benevo- 
lent men  sought  to  devise  processes  for  the  instruction 
of  the  blind,  but  with  no  great  success.      Several  un- 


52  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

fruitful  attempts  were  also  made  in  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century  to  prepare  some  sort  of  books 
for  them,  both  in  engraved  and  raised  letters.  Among 
others,  JerSme  Cardan  had  conceived  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  teach  the  blind  to  read  and  write  by  means 
of  feeling,  and  cited,  in  support  of  this  view,  several 
facts  reported  by  Erasmus. 

The  first  book  which  called  attention  to  the  condition 
and  miseries  of  the  blind  was  published  in  Italy,  in 
1646.  It  was  written  by  one  of  the  learned  sons  of 
that  favored  country,  in  the  form  of  a  letter  addressed 
from  S.  D.  C.  to  Vincent  Armanni,  and  was  printed  in 
Italian  and  French  under  the  title  II  cieco  afflitto  e  con- 
solato  ;  or,  L'aveugle  oj^ige  et  console. 

In  1670,  padre  Lana  Terzi,  a  Jesuit  of  Brescia,  who 
had  previously  devoted  a  few  pages  to  the  education  of 
the  deaf,  published  a  treatise  on  the  instruction  of  the 
blind. 

Jacques  Bernouilli,  being  at  Geneva  in  1676,  taught 
Mademoiselle  Elizabeth  Waldkuxh,  who  had  lost  her 
sight  two  months  after  birth,  to  read ;  but  he  did  not 
make  known  the  means  which  he  employed. 

Dr.  Burnet,  bishop  of  Salisbury,  gives,  in  his  "  Jour- 
ney in  Switzerland,"  a  detailed  account  of  Mademoiselle 
Walkier,  of  Schaffhousen,  whose  eyes  had  been  burned 
when  she  was  a  year  old.  She  spoke  five  languages, 
and  was  a  theologian,  a  philosopher,  and  a  good  musi- 
cian. This  young  person  had  learned  to  ^rite  by 
means  of  hollow  characters  cut  in  wood,  which  she  at 
first  passed  over  with  a  pointed  iron.  She  had  after- 
wards made  use  of  a  pencil,  and  finally,  when  Bishop 
Bui-net  was  at  Schaffhousen,  in  October,  1685,  he  saw 
her  write  very  rapidly  and  very  correctly. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  53 

Two  years  later  appeared  Locke's  famous  "  Essay  on 
the  Human  Understanding,"  in  which  was  discussed  the 
problem  proposed  to  him  by  Molyneux,  —  a  scholarly 
writer  and  member  of  the  Irish  parliament,  —  whether 
a  person  blind  from  his  birth  would,  upon  being  sud- 
denly restored  to  sight,  be  able  to  distinguish,  by  his 
eyes  alone,  a  globe  from  a  cube,  the  difference  between 
which  he  had  previously  recognized  by  feeling  1  The 
question  was  answered  in  the  negative,  both  by  the 
author  of  the  essay  and  by  his  "  learned  and  worthy 
friend." 

In  1703,  Leibnitz  took  up  the  subject,  and  his  con- 
clusions were  at  variance  with  those  of  Locke  and 
Molyneux. 

A  few  years  later,  that  sightless  mathematical  won- 
der, Nicholas  Saunderson,  appeared  on  the  literary 
horizon  of  England,  and  made  such  advances  in  the 
higher  departments  of  science,  that  he  was  appointed, 
"  though  not  matriculated  at  the  university,"  on  the 
recommendation  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  to  fill  the  chair 
which  a  short  time  previous  had  been  occupied  by  him- 
self at  Cambridge.  Expounding  from  the  depths  of 
the  eternal  night  in  which  he  lived  the  most  abstruse 
points  of  the  Newtonian  philosophy,  and  especially  the 
laws  of  optics,  or  the  theory  of  solar  refraction,  and 
communicating  his  ideas  with  unequalled  perspicuity 
and  precision,  he  filled  his  audience  with  surprise,  and 
became  the  object  of  general  admiration. 

In  1729,  while  Saunderson  was  still  at  the  zenith  of 
his  fame  at  Cambridge  (having  just  been  created  doc- 
tor of  laws  by  a  mandate  of  George  II.),  Locke's 
answer  to  Molyneux's  problem  was  receiving  confirma- 


54  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

tion  from  the  experience  of  a  boy  blind  from  birth, 
whom  Cheselden,  the  celebrated  anatomist,  had  success- 
fully couched  for  cataracts  and  restored  to  perfect  sight 
at  the  age  of  thirteen.  This  youth  was  not  able  at 
first  to  recognize  by  vision  the  objects  which  were  most 
familiar  to  his  touch.  It  was  long  before  he  could 
discriminate  by  his  eye  between  his  old  companions,  the 
family  cat  and  dog,  dissimilar  as  such  animals  appear 
to  us  in  color  and  conformation.  Being  ashamed  to 
ask  the  oft-repeated  question,  he  was  observed  one 
day  to  pass  his  hand  carefully  over  the  cat,  and  then, 
looking  at  her  steadfastly,  to  exclaim,  "  So,  puss,  I  shall 
know  you  another  time."  This  case,  the  most  remark- 
able of  the  kind,  faithfully  detailed  by  the  surgeon  him- 
self in  No.  402  of  the  "Philosophical  Transactions,"  led 
to  similar  experiments  afterwards,  the  conclusions  of 
which  did  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  Locke. 

The  spirit  of  free  inquiry,  which  had  been  unchained 
in  the  preceding  centuiy,  having  passed  by  a  natural 
transition  from  expatiation  in  the  regions  of  taste  and 
abstract  philosophy  into  those  of  social  science  and 
human  life,  became  bold  and  restless,  longing  for 
greater  triumphs  than  those  achieved  heretofore.  The 
French  savans,  who  were  endeavoring  to  dissipate  the 
clouds  of  authority  and  the  foggy  mists  of  error,  were 
on  the  alert  for  events  touching  upon  important  psycho- 
logical questions,  and  calculated  to  help  the  cause  of 
humanity. 

In  1746,  Condillac  took  up  Locke's  problem  and  the 
experiments  of  Cheselden,  and  discussed  with  much 
clearness  and  dialectic  skill  the  mental  processes  of  the 
blind. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  55 

Simultaneously  with  his  Essai  sur  Vorigine  des  con- 
naissances  humaines  was  first  published  a  volume  of  the 
poems  of  Dr.  Blacklock,  of  Scotland,  who,  although 
deprived  of  sight  in  early  infancy,  went  through  the 
usual  course  of  studies  at  the  university  of  Edinburgh, 
and  distinguished  himself  by  his  proficiency  in  classical 
literature,  in  belles-lettres,  in  metaphysics,  and  in  all 
other  branches  of  knowledge.  The  productions  of  his 
muse  are  marked  by  elegance  of  diction,  ardor  of  senti- 
ment, and  accurate  descriptions  of  visible  objects.  His 
writings  will  be  searched  in  vain,  however,  for  poetry 
of  a  very  high  order.  He  says  of  himself,  what  doubt- 
less is  true  of  all  persons  similarly  situated,  that  he 
always  associated  some  moral  quality  with  visible  ob- 
jects. 

The  following  year  appeared  in  Dublin  a  biography 
of  Saunderson  from  the  pen  of  his  disciple  and 
successor  in  the  professorship  at  Cambridge,  William 
Inchlif  or  Hinchliff"e.  This  work  contained  a  minute 
description,  with  illustrative  drawings,  of  the  appliances 
used  by  the  sightless  mathematician,  and  was  most 
eagerly  read  in  France. 

The  abbe  Deschamps,  treating  of  the  education  of 
the  deaf-mutes,  also  sketched  the  outlines  of  the  art 
of  teaching  the  blind  to  read  and  write. 

Meanwhile  Lenotre,  the  famous  blind  man  of  Pui- 
seaux,  appeared  on  the  stage,  and,  by  the  originality 
which  stamped  everything  that  he  did,  attracted  uni- 
versal attention.  He  was  the  son  of  a  professor  of 
philosophy  in  the  university  of  Paris,  and  had  attended 
with  advantage  courses  of  chemistry  and  botany  at  the 
Jardin  du  Roi.     After  having  dissipated  a  part  of  his 


56  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

fortune,  he  retired  to  Puiseaux,  a  little  town  in  Gatinais, 
where  he  established  a  distillery,  the  products  of  which 
he  came  regularly  once  a  year  to  Paris  to  dispose  of. 
It  was  his  custom  to  sleep  during  the  day  and  rise  in 
the  evening.  He  worked  all  night,  "  because,"  as  he 
himself  said,  "  he  was  not  then  disturbed  by  anybody." 
His  wife  used  to  find  everything  perfectly  arranged  in 
the  morning.  Having  found  in  the  resources  of  his 
mind  and  in  his  own  activity  a  shelter  from  poverty,  he 
lived  happily  in  the  midst  of  his  family.  His  retired 
and  extraordinary  mode  of  life  earned  for  him  a  sort  of 
reputation.  Diderot,  then  looking  out  for  philosophical 
sensations,  visited  him  at  his  home,  and  found  him  oc- 
cupied in  teaching  his  seeing  son  to  read  with  raised 
characters.  The  blind  man  put  to  him  some  very  sin- 
gular questions  on  the  transparency  of  glass,  colors,  and 
such  matters.  He  asked  if  naturalists  were  the  only 
persons  who  saw  with  the  microscope ;  if  the  machine 
which  magnified  objects  was  greater  than  that  which 
diminished  them ;  if  that  which  brought  them  near  was 
shorter  than  that  which  removed  them  to  a  distance. 
He  conceived  the  eye  to  be  "  an  organ  upon  which  the 
air  produces  the  same  efi"ect  as  the  staff  on  the  hand," 
and  defined  a  mirror  as  "  a  machine  by  which  objects 
are  placed  in  relief,  out  of  themselves."  On  being  in- 
teiTOgated  as  to  whether  he  felt  a  great  desire  to  have 
eyes,  he  answered,  "  Were  it  not  for  the  mere  gratifica- 
tion of  curiosity,  I  think  I  should  do  as  well  to  Avish  for 
long  arms.  It  seems  to  me  that  my  hands  would  in- 
form me  better  of  what  is  going  on  in  the  moon  than 
your  eyes  and  telescopes  ;  and  then  the  eyes  lose  the 
power  of  vision  more  readily  th^ii^  the   hands   that  of 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  57 

feeling.     It  would  be  better  to  perfect  the  organ  which 
I  have  than  to  bestow  on  me  that  which  I  have  not.'* 
This  interview,  together  with  the  knowledge  of  Saun- 
derson's  appliances  obtained  from  a  perusal  of  his  biog- 
raphy, called  out,  in   1749,  Diderot's  ingenious  Lettres 
stir  les  aveugles  a  T usage  de  ceux  qui  voint,  which  set 
Paris  ablaze  with   enthusiasm  and  inquiry,  and  which 
procured  for  him  at  once  an  acquaintance  with  Voltaire 
and  three  months'  imprisonment  at  Vincennes.     Of  the 
many  stupid  blunders  and  imbecile  acts  which  emanated 
from  the  government  of  Louis  XV.,  this  incarceration 
was  the  most  unaccountable.     Like  any  other  unpro- 
voked outrage,  it  created  great  surprise.     It  added  one 
more  stigma  of  violence  to  the  crown  of  that  rapacious 
monarch,  —  whose  tyranny  and  debauchery  had  already 
stripped  him  of  the  early  appellation  of  "  well-beloved," 
—  wrought  up  public  feeling  in  favor  of  the  persecuted 
author  to  a  state  of  fervor,  and  converted  the  current  of 
astonishment  into    a   cataract    of  popular   indignation. 
Diderot  was  released ;  but  the  resistance  shown  to  his 
liberal  opinions  had  set  the  minds  of  men  afloat,  and 
restlessness  was  followed  by   high  excitation.     He  be- 
came at  one  stroke  the  lion  of  the  day  and  the  cham- 
pion of  the  blind,  and,  his  speculations  about  them  being 
widely  spread,  enlisted  general  interest  in  their  cause. 
Captivated  by  the   novelty  of  the  ideas  which  he  de- 
veloped in  the  famous  letters,  dazzled  by  the  eloquence 
which  he  employed,  and  rnoved  by  his  recital  of  the 
woes  and  disadvantages  which  beset  the  void  of  sight, 
people  naturally  began  to  think  about  the  amelioration 
of  the  condition  of  the  blind. 

In  1763,  Dr.  Thomas  Reid  endeavored  to  show  in  his 


s 


58  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

essay,  entitled  "  An  Inquiry  into    the  Human  Mind," 
that  the  bHnd,  if   properly  instructed,  are  capable  of 
forming  almost  every  idea  and  attaining  almost   every 
truth  which  can  be  impressed  on  the  mind  through  the 
medium  of  light   and  color,   except  the   sensations  of 
light  and  color  themselves.     The  object  of   this  work 
was  to  refute  the  opinions  of   Locke  and  Hartley  re- 
specting the  connection  which  they  supposed  to   exist 
between  the  phenomena,  powers  and  operations  of  the 
mind,  and  to  found  human  knowledge  on  a  system  of 
instinctive    principles.      Dr.    Reid's    views    concerning 
those  pleasures  of  which  the  sense  of  sight  is  commonly 
understood  to  be  the  only  channel  were  similar  to  the 
observations  made  by  Burke  in  1756,  in  his  treatise  on 
the  "  Sublime  and  Beautiful."     This  author  appeals  not 
only  to  the  scientific  acquirements  of  Saunderson,  but 
also  to  the  poetry  of  Dr.  Blacklock,  as  a  confirmation  of 
his  doctrine.     "  Here,"  says  he,  "  is  a  poet,  doubtless  as 
much  affected  with  his  own  descriptions   as   any  that 
reads  them  can  be ;  and  yet  he  is   affected  with  this 
strong  enthusiasm  by  things  of  which  he  neither  has, 
nor  possibly  can  have,  any  idea  further  than  that  of  bare 
sound." 

While  in  prison,  Diderot  was  often  visited  by  the 
celebrated  philosopher  of  the  age,  Jean  Jacques  Rous- 
seau, whose  warm  interest  in  all  sufferers,  and  particu- 
larly in  the  blind,  was  manifest.  This  master  spirit  of 
progress,  who  was  soon  to  become  not  merely  the  fore- 
runner but  the  creator  of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of 
mankind,  was  already  the  champion  of  humanity,  and 
the  apostle  of  nature  in  all  things.  As  Villemain  ex- 
presses it,  "  his  words,  descending  like  a  flame  of  fire, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  59 

moved  the  souls  of  his  contemporaries."  While,  on  the 
one  hand,  Rousseau  was  teaching,  in  a  calm,  logical 
manner,  that  "  true  philosophy  is  to  commune  with 
one's  self,"  and  that  reason  is  the  source,  the  assurance 
and  the  criterion  of  truth,  he  was,  on  the  other,  thrilKng 
two  continents  with  his  memorable  declaration,  that 
"  man  is  born  free,  but  is  everywhere  in  chains,"  — 
which  later  became  the  gospel  of  the  Jacobins.  His 
passionate  feeling,  deep  thought,  stupendous  learning, 
refined  taste,  profound  pathos  and  resolute  bearing  had 
such  effect  not  only  upon  the  minds  of  the  lower  classes 
of  society,  but  even  upon  those  of  the  nobihty  and  the 
courtiers  themselves,  that  thunders  of  applause  shook 
the  theatre  of  Versailles  at  the  celebrated  lines  of  Vol- 
taire, — 

"  Je  suis  fils  de  Brutus,  et  je  porte  en  raon  coeur 
La  liberty  gravee  et  les  rois  en  horreur." 

By  the  touch  of  the  magic  W£tnd  of  Rousseau's  elo- 
quence the  tree  of  tyranny  was  to  be  uprooted  and  the 
whole  framework  of  despotism  torn  down.  No  sooner 
had  he  opened  his  lips  than  he  restored  earnestness  to 
the  world,  replaced  selfishness  by  benevolence,  engrafted 
the  shoots  of  tenderness  on  the  stock  of  hardness  of 
heart  and  exclusiveness,  wrought  up  France  into  a  mood 
of  sympathy  with  afflicted  humanity,  and  rendered  the 
eighteenth  century  an  earnest  and  sincere  one,  full  of 
beneficence,  replete  with  faith  in  man's  capacity  for 
improvement,  productive  of  grand  ideas,  and  adorned 
by  many  vii-tues.  Charity  never  was  more  active  than 
at  this  period,  when  philanthropy  had  become  a  sort  of 
fashion,  and  the  movements  for  the  suppression  of  men- 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

dicancy  and  the  elevation  of  individual  independence, 
self-respect  and  dignity,  common  enterprises.  The 
great  designs  and  inventions  for  the  removal  or  palliation 
of  physical  or  mental  disabilities  which  stand  as  sig- 
nificant indices  on  the  road  of  modern  civilization  were 
all  of  them  fostered  on  the  fertile  soil  of  France. 
Prominent  among  these  was  unquestionably  the  one 
which  aimed  at  the  deliverance  of  the  blind  ;  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  conception  of  its  importance  is 
due  rather  to  the  genius  of  the  celebrated  author  of 
"  Emile  "  than  to  the  mental  resources  of  any  one  else. 
True,  Diderot  was  the  fii'st  writer  who  called  special 
and  direct  attention  to  the  condition  and  wants  of  this 
afflicted  class,  and  made  them  popularly  known ;  but 
neither  he,  nor  Locke,  nor  Leibnitz,  nor  Reid,  nor  Con- 
dillac,  nor  any  of  the  encyclopaedists,  went  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  abstract  psychological  speculation.  They 
proposed  no  measures  of  practical  utility  or  relief,  nor 
did  they  devise  any  plans  for  the  instruction  and  train- 
ing of  sightless  persons.  It  was  Rousseau  who  first 
asked  the  momentous  question,  "  What  can  we  do  to 
alleviate  the  lot  of  this  class  of  sufferers,  and  how  shall 
we  apply  to  their  education  the  results  of  metaphysics  ? " 
It  was  he  who  suggested  the  embossed  books  which 
were  afterwards  printed  by  Haiiy  in  a  crude  form.  It 
was  under  the  genial  warmth  of  his  marvellous  pen  that 
the  plant  of  the  education  of  both  the  blind  and  the 
deaf-mutes  grew,  blossomed  and  throve. 

But,  although  Rousseau's  keen  observations  and 
practical  suggestions  gave  form  and  wise  direction  to 
the  fugitive  glimpses  of  abstract  speculation  and  iso- 
lated individual  effort,  yet   the  blind  had  still  to  await 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  61 

the  coming  of  their  deliverer.     An  accidental  circum- 
stance sent  him  to  them. 

III.  —  Valentin  Haily  and  the  School  at  Paris. 
In  the  summer  of  1783,  the  proprietor  of  a  place  of 
refreshment  in  one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  of 
Paris,  desirous  of  increasing  his  custom,  procured  the 
services  of  eight  or  ten  blind  persons,  whom  he  ar- 
ranged before  a  long  desk,  with  goggles  on  nose  and 
instruments  in  their  hands.  Upon  the  stand  were 
placed  open  music-books,  and  the  sightless  men,  feign- 
ing to  read  their  notes  from  these,  executed,  at  short 
intervals,  the  most  "  discordant  symphonies."  The  ob- 
ject of  the  proprietor  of  the  place,  —  which  was  after- 
wards known  by  the  name  of  Cafe  des  Avevgles.,  —  was 
gained.  The  music  drew  a  large  crowd,  who  received 
the  ridiculous  pei'formances  with  boisterous  and  heartless 
mirth,  while  consuming  refreshments.  Among  the  most 
interested  by-standers  was  Valentin  Haiiy,  the  brother 
of  the  eminent  crystallologist,  and  a  man  of  large  heart 
and  head,  with  deep  feeling  for  the  woes  of  humanity 
and  the  power  of  thought  to  invent  means  for  their 
alleviation.  He  began  at  once  to  ponder  upon  the  con- 
dition of  the  blind,  and  to  question  whether  a  method 
of  reading  might  be  devised  which  should  in  some  mea- 
sure counterbalance  their  privation  and  give  them  some 
comfort  and  consolation  for  the  affliction  under  which 
they  labored.  In  his  famous  "  Essay  on  the  Education  of 
the  Blind,"  Haiiy  describes  with  charming  simplicity  and 
impressive  modesty  the  bitter  feelings  and  serious  re- 
flections which  the  performances  at  the  Cafe  des  Aveu- 
^les  had  given  him.     "  A  very  diff"erent  sentiment  from 


62  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

that  of  delight,"  he  says,  "  possessed  our  soul,  and  we 
conceived,  at  that  very  instant,  the  iDOSsibility  of  turning 
to  the  advantage  of  those  unfortunate  people  the  means 
of  which  they  had  only  an  apparent  and  ridiculous  en- 
joyment.    Do  not  the  blind,  said  we  to   ourselves,  dis- 
tinguish objects  by  the  diversity  of  their  form]      Are 
they  mistaken  in  the  value  of  a  piece  of  money  ?     Why 
can  they  not  distinguish  a  C  from  a  G  in  music,  or  an  a 
from  an  /  in  orthography,  if  these  characters  should  be 
rendered   palpable    to    the    touch?      While   we   were 
reflectins  on   the    usefulness  of  such  an  undertaking, 
another  observation  struck  us.     A  young  child,  full  of 
intelligence  but  deprived  of  sight,  Hstened  with  profit 
to    the    correction    of  his  brother's   classical  exercises. 
He  often  even  besought  him  to   read  his  elementary 
books  to  him.     He,  however,  more  occupied  with  his 
amusements,  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  solicitations  of 
his  unfortunate  brother,  who  was  soon  carried  off  by  a 
cruel  disease. 

"These  different  examples  soon  convinced  us  how 
precious  it  would  be  for  the  blind  to  possess  the  means 
of  extending  their  knowledge,  without  being  obliged  to 
wait  for,  or  sometimes  even  in  vain  to  demand,  the 
assistance  of  those  who  see." 

Having  got  so  far,  Haiiy  gathered  together  all  the 
information  which  could  be  drawn  from  the  history  of 
celebrated  congenital  blind  persons  with  regard  to  the 
special  processes  which  they  had  employed. 

In  England,  Saunderson  had  devised  a  ciphering- 
tablet.  In  France,  the  blind  man  of  Puiseaux  and 
Mademoiselle  de  Salignac  had  used  raised  letters,  and 
Lamouroux  had  invented   tangible   musical  characters. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  63 

In  Germany,  Weissemburg,  blind  from  the  age  of  seven, 
had  accustomed  himself  to  trace  signs  in  relief.  He 
had  made  maps  of  ordinary  cards  divided  by  threads,  on 
which  beads  varying  in  size  were  strung,  to  indicate  the 
different  orders  of  towns,  and  covered  with  glazed  sands 
in  various  ways  to  distinguish  the  seas,  countries, 
provinces,  etc.  By  means  of  these  processes  he  had 
instructed  a  young  blind  girl,  named  Maria  Theresa 
von    Paradis. 

This  gifted  child  was  born  in  Vienna,  in  1759,  and 
lost  her  sight  at  three  years  of  age.  Her  parents  were 
persons  of  rank  and  fortune, — her  father  being  aulic 
councillor  of  the  empire,  —  and  they  spared  no  expense 
in  cultivating  her  extraordinary  talents,  and  procuring 
for  her  the  various  ingenious  contrivances  then  known 
for  facilitating  the  education  of  the  blind.  Under  the  in- 
struction of  Weissemburg  and  the  baron  von  Kempelen, 
the  deviser  of  the  mechanical  chess-player  and  the  speak- 
ing automaton,  she  had  learned  to  spell  with  letters  cut 
out  of  pasteboard,  and  to  read  words  pricked  upon  cards 
with  pins.  Herr  von  Kempelen  built  for  her  a  little 
press,  by  means  of  which  she  printed  with  ink  the  sen- 
tences which  she  composed,  and  in  this  way  main- 
tained a  correspondence  with  her  teachers  and  friends. 
She  made  use  of  a  large  cushion,  into  which  she  stuck 
pins  to  form  notes  or  letters. 

Having  devoted  much  of  her  time  to  the  study  and 
practice  of  the  pianoforte  and  organ,  under  the  care 
of  Herr  Hozeluch  and  other  masters,  Mademoiselle 
von  Paradis  suddenly  appeared  before  the  musical 
world  as  an  accomplished  pianiste.  She  was  the  god- 
child of  the  empress  Maria  Theresa, — who  allowed  her 


64  mSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

an  annual  pension  of  two  hundred  florins,  —  and  her 
performances  at  the  palace  and  in  the  aristocratic  cir- 
cles of  Vienna  were  received  with  eclat.  Accompanied 
by  her  mother,  she  made  a  grand  professional  tour 
through  the  capitals  and  principal  towns  of  central 
Europe  and  England,  and  charmed  the  rulers,  the  high 
functionaries,  and  the  cultivated  classes  of  society  every- 
where. In  1784,  she  ventured  to  Paris,  and  there  she 
took  part  in  the  brilliant  concerts  of  the  winter,  and 
achieved  her  grandest  triumphs.  No  one  was  more  en- 
thusiastic at  her  magnificent  success  than  Haiiy,  who 
immediately  sought  and  made  her  acquaintance,  and  to 
whom  she  exhibited  her  appliances  and  apparatus  and 
explained  their  use.  Profiting  by  these  observations, 
he  began  at  once  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  complete 
system  of  education  for  those  who  had  hitherto  been 
left  entu'ely  untaught  and  uncared  for.  The  abbe  de 
I'Epee  had  at  about  the  same  period,  in  a  certain 
sense,  restored  the  deaf-mutes  to  intelligence  and  com- 
munion with  the  world  around  them. 

Haiiy,  having  determined  to  test  his  plans  and  meth- 
ods by  the  instruction  of  one  or  more  sightless  persons, 
found,  after  some  time,  a  congenital  blind  lad  of  seven- 
teen years,  named  Lesueur,  who  was  in  the  habit  of 
soliciting  alms  at  the  door  of  the  chapel  Bonne  Nouvelle. 
In  order  to  dissuade  him  from  his  degrading  profession, 
the  eager  philanthropist  promised  to  pay  him  from  his 
own  pocket  an  amount  of  money  equal  to  that  which 
he  gained  as  a  mendicant.  Lesueur  accepted  the  offer, 
and  proved  a  very  tractable  pupil.  On  him  Haiiy  tried 
his  inventions  almost  as  rapidly  as  they  proceeded  from 
his  own  brain,  and  with  such  remarkable  success  that, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  65 

as  a  proof  of  the  positions  which  he  had  taken  in  an 
essay  on  the  education  of  the  blind,  read  by  him  before 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  their  invitation,  he 
exhibited  his  pupil's  attainments.  The  members  of  the 
assembly  were  carried  as  if  by  storm,  and  a  commission 
was  appointed  to  examine  the  matter  more  fully,  and 
report.  Meanwhile  the  Philanthropic  Society,  which 
had  undertaken,  as  soon  as  it  was  organized,  to  assist 
twelve  indigent  sightless  children  by  giving  them  twelve 
livres  per  month,  entrusted  them  to  the  care  of  Haiiy. 
Thus  the  first  school  for  the  blind  was  established  in  a 
small  house  in  the  rue  CoquilUere. 

Nothing  further  was  wanting  to  the  founder  of  the 
institution  but  the  public  support  of  the  samns.     This 
was  soon  to  be  given.     During  the  interval,  however, 
the  establishment  was  rapidly  progressing,  and  the  art 
of   embossing  books   for  the  blind  was  an  undisputed 
triumph  of  Haiiy's  ingenuity.     This  discovery  had  been 
long,  though  dimly,  foreshadowed.     According  to  Fran- 
cesco Lucas,  letters  engraved  on  wood  had  been  used 
in  Spain  as  early  as  the  sixteenth  century,  which  were 
reproduced  in  Italy,  with  some  modifications,  by  Ram- 
pazzetto,  in   1573;    but  these  were  in  intaglio  instead 
of  being  in  relief,  and  all  attempts  to  ascertain  their 
configuration  by  feeling  proved  fruitless.     In    164:0,  a 
writing-master  of  Paris,  named  Pierre  Moreau,  caused 
movable  raised  characters  to  be  cast  in  lead  for  the  use 
of  the  blind ;    but  he  relinquished  the  scheme  for  rea- 
sons unknown  to  us.     Movable  letters  on  small  tablets 
were  also  tried  ;  but  these  were  well  adapted  only  for 
instructing  seeing  children  to  read.     In  fact,  it  was  by 
means  of  similar  characters  that  Usher,  afterwards  arch- 


66 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


bishop  of  Armagh,  was  taught  to  read  by  his  two  aunts, 
who  were  both  blind.  Various  other  methods  were  em- 
ployed, but  none  of  them  received  general  approbation 
until  Haliy's  great  invention,  which  seems  to  have  been 
partly  the  result  of  accident..  Mr.  Gailliod,  who  at  a 
later  date  became  one  of  his  most  celebrated  pupils, 
thus  relates  the  circumstance : 

"  Lesueur  was  sent  one  day  to  his  master's  desk  for 
some  article,  and  passing  his  fingers  over  the  papers, 
they  came  in  contact  with  the  back  of  a  printed  note, 
which,  having  received  an  unusually  strong  impression, 
exhibited  the  letters  in  relief  on  the  reverse.  He  dis- 
tinguished an  0,  and  brought  the  paper  to  his  teacher 
to  show  him  that  he  could  do  so.  Haiiy  at  once  per- 
ceived the  importance  of  the  discovery,  and  testing  it 
further  by  writing  upon  paper  with  a  sharp  point,  and 
reversing  it,  found   that   Lesueur   read   it   with   great 

facility." 

The  ingenious  inventor  proceeded  to  produce  letters 
in  rehef  by  pressing  the  type  strongly  on  sized  paper, 
and  his  success  was  complete.  Thus  the  art  of  embos- 
sino-  books  for  the  blind  was  discovered.  The  first 
characters  adopted  by  Haiiy  were  those  of  the  lUyrian 
or  Sclavonic  alphabet,  which  were  doubtless  preferred 
on  account  of  their  square  form ;  but  these  were  after- 
wards altered  and  improved. 

In  February,  1785,  the  commission  of  the  Royal  Aca- 
demy made  its  report,  and  while  pointing  out  the  fea- 
tures which  the  system  of  Haiiy  had  in  common  with 
the  agencies  previously  employed  by  individual  blind 
persons,  declared  that  to  him  alone  were  due  their  per- 
fection,   extension,    and    arrangement   into    a  veritable 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  67 

method.  They  concluded  by  saying  that  "  if  the  suc- 
cess which  we  have  witnessed  does  honor  to  the  intel- 
Hgence  of  the  pupils,  it  is  no  less  satisfactory  and 
creditable  to  their  instructor,  w^hose  beneficent  labors 
merit  the  public  gratitude." 

This  report  had  a  marvellous  effect  upon  the  com- 
munity. The  school  for  the  blind  became  one  of  the 
lions  of  Paris,  and  was  for  some  time  absolutely  the 
rage.  All  classes  of  society  were  interested  in  the  es- 
tablishment, and  each  one  strove  to  out-do  the  other. 
Eminent  musicians  and  actors  gave  performances  for  its 
benefit.  The  Lyceum,  the  Museum,  the  Salon.de  Corres- 
pondence soon  vied  with  one  another  for  the  privilege  of 
having  the  young  sightless  pupils  stammer  (to  borrow 
the  expression  of  their  instructor)  the  first  elements  of 
reading,  arithmetic,  history,  geography,  and  music  at 
their  sessions  ;  and  these  exercises  were  always  concluded 
by  collections  for  their  benefit.  Donations  poured  in 
from  all  sides,  and  the  funds  were  placed  in  the  treasury 
of  the  Philanthropic  Society  (still  charged,  at  that  time, , 
with  providing  the  expenses  of  the  establishment),  which 
had  been  removed  to  the  rue  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires, 
No.  18. 

Finally,  on  the  26th  December,  1786,  the  blind  chil- 
dren of  Haiiy's  school,  to  the  number  of  twenty -four,  and 
a  seeing  lad  taught  by  them,  were  admitted  at  Versailles 
to  the  presence  of  the  royal  family.  They  were  lodged 
and  cared  for  at  the  palace  for  eight  days,  and  thek 
exercises  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
king,  the  queen,  and  princes.  Haiiy  became  a  favorite 
of  Louis  XVI.,  and  was  made  interpreter  to  his  majesty, 
the  navy  department,  and  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  for  the  Eng- 


68  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

lish.  German,  and  Dutch  languages ;  royal  interpreter 
and  professor  of  ancient  inscriptions ;  and  lastly,  secre- 
tary to  the  king.  These  honors  were  no  doubt  as  grati- 
fying to  the  recipient  as  they  were  creditable  to  the  royal 
giver ;  but  they  were  ephemeral.  Hauy's  fame  rests 
upon  a  higher  plane  and  more  solid  ground  than  this. 
He  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  name  of  the  •'  father 
and  apostle  of  the  blind ;  "  a  reward  richer  than  a 
crown ;  a  title  more  truly  glorious  than  that  of  con- 
queror. 

At  about  this  time  Haliy  published  his  "  Essay  on  the 
Education  of  the  Blind,"  which  was  printed  under  the 
superintendence  of  M.  Clousier,  printer  to  the  king, 
partly  in  relief  and  partly  with  ink,  by  his  pupils.  It  is 
hardly  possible  to  ascertain  precisely  the  proportion  of 
the  work  performed  by  the  latter.  A  literal  translation 
of  this  treatise  into  English  was  made  by  Blacklock,  the 
blind  poet.  It  was  first  published  in  1793,  two  years 
after  his  death,  and  was  chiefly  remarkable  for  its  inac- 
curacies. 

The  prosperity  of  the  institution  continued  for  about 
four  years  longer,  at  the  end  of  which  period  its  days  of 
adversity  and  gloom  commenced.  In  1791,  the  revolu- 
tion was  fairly  inaugurated,  and  the  Philanthropic  Society, 
which  had  taken  charge  of  this  noble  enterprise  from  its 
inception,  was  broken  up,  its  members  imprisoned,  ex- 
iled, and  many  of  them  subsequently  guillotined.  On 
the  21st  of  July  of  that  year  the  school  for  the  blind  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  the  state,  and  on  the  28th  of 
September  the  national  assembly  passed  an  act  providing 
for  its  support.  On  the  10th  Thermidor,  anno  IIL,  it 
was  reorganized  by  a  decree  of  the  convention,  and  joined 


1881.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT -No.  27.  69 

with  the  school  for  the  deaf-mutes,  the  two  classes  occu- 
pymg  the  convent  of  the  Celestins.  All  yet  looked  fair 
for  the  institution  ;  but  the  reign  of  terror  soon  followed, 
and  philanthropy,  which  had  so  lately  been  the  fashion 
in  Paris,  gave  place  to  a  demoniac  and  blood-thirsty  cru- 
elty which  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  nations.  The 
best  blood  of  France  flowed  like  water,  and  all  thoudit 
of  humanity  seemed  banished  from  the  minds  of  the 
frantic  barbarians  who  ruled  her.  Amid  all  the  confu- 
sion and  discord,  Haily  quietly  continued  his  course  of 
instruction,  though  sorely  straitened  for  the  means  to 
sustain  the  children  confided  to  his  care.  The  govern- 
ment nominally  provided  for  them ;  but  the  orders  on  a 
bankrupt  treasury  were  nearly  worthless.  Haiiy  freely 
gave  up  his  own  little  fortune  ;  and  when  this  was  gone, 
with  the  aid  of  his  pupils,  he  worked  faithfully  at  the 
printing-press,  procured  in  their  better  days,  and  eked 
out  the  means  for  their  existence  by  issuing  the  number- 
less bulletins,  hand-bills,  affiches,  and  tracts,  which  so 
abounded  in  that  period  of  anarchy.  It  is  said  that 
Haiiy  for  more  than  a  year  confined  himself  to  a  single 
meal  a  day,  that  his  scholars  might  not  starve.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  other  misfortunes  the  union  of  the  blind  and 
the  deaf-mutes  proved  unwise  and  unblest.  The  man- 
agers quarrelled  and  conducted  matters  so  badly,  that  the 
existence  of  both  schools  was  in  danger.  At  last  this 
discreditable  state  of  things  was  terminated  by  a  de- 
cree of  the  national  convention,  July  27,  1794,  which 
separated  the  disputants,  and  placed  the  deaf-mutes  in 
the  seminary  of  Saint  Magloire  and  the  blind  in  the 
maison  Sainte  Catherine,  rue  des  Lombards.  But  the  suf- 
fering, resulting   mainly  from    the  want  of  pecuniary 


TO  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE  BLIND.  [Oct. 

means,  was  not  ended.  It  lasted  more  or  less  until 
1800.  During  this  period  of  darkness  and  misery, 
Hatiy  had  been  able,  amidst  the  gigantic  difficulties  by 
which  he  was  surrounded,  to  educate  some  pupils,  whose 
subsequent  renown  reflected  its  splendor  upon  his  patient 
labors.  Among  these  were  Gailliod,  the  musical  com- 
poser ;  Penjon,  who  afterwards  filled  the  chair  of  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  at  the  college  of  Angers  for  thirty 
years,  with  high  distinction ;  and  Avisse,  whose  early 
death  deprived  France  of  one  of  her  sweetest  poets. 

At  length  brighter  days  began  to  dawn  and  prosperity 
seemed  about  to  revisit  the  suff"erers  of  a  whole  decade. 
But  in  1801  a  terrible  blow  fell  suddenly  upon  the 
institution,  in  comparison  with  which  all  its  privations 
and  misery  seemed  light.  The  consular  government 
decided  to  incorporate  the  school  for  the  young  blind 
with  the  hospice  des  Qninxe-  Vingts.  This  establishment, 
which  was  founded  by  Louis  IX.  in  1260,  was  a  retreat 
or  home  for  adults  ;  and  was  occupied  at  this  time  by  a 
large  number  of  blind  paupers  with  their  families,  who 
were  indolent,  degraded,  depraved  and  vicious.  To 
place  the  children,  for  whom  Haiiy  had  sacrificed  so 
much,  in  constant  association  with  these  idle,  dissolute 
and  profligate  men  and  women  was  more  than  he  could 
bear.  Calmly  had  he  endured  hunger  and  privation  for 
their  sake,  and  as  cheerfully  would  he  do  it  again ;  but 
to  see  their  minds  and  morals  contaminated  and  cor- 
rupted, their  habits  of  industry  and  study  abandoned, 
was  too  much.  The  government  of  Bonaparte,  however, 
was  inexorable,  and  Haiiy  resigned  his  position.  In 
acknowledgment  of  his  past  services,  a  pension  of  four 
hundi'ed  dollars  was  decreed  to  him. 


1881.]  PUBLIC    DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  71 

Unwillins?  to  abandon  a  class  for  whom  he  felt  so 
deep  and  mtense  an  interest,  Haiiy  opened  a  private 
school  for  the  blind,  under  the  title  of  Masee  des  Aveit- 
gles.  He  maintained  it  for  three  years ;  and  in  that 
time  educated,  among  others,  two  pupils,  whose  names 
and  reputation  are  still  remembered  throughout  Europe  : 
Rodenbach,  the  eloquent  writer  and  eminent  statesman 
of  Belgium,  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  revolution 
of  1830,  and  played  an  important  role  in  the  political 
arena  of  his  country ;  and  Fournier,  hardly  less  distin- 
guished in  France.  The  undertaking,  however,  proved 
pecuniarily  unsuccessful ;  and  in  1806,  Haiiy  accepted  a 
pressing  invitation  from  the  Czar  to  establish  a  school 
for  the  blind  in  his  empire.  Accompanied  by  his  faithfnl 
pupil  and  constant  friend,  Fournier,  he  started  for  Rus- 
sia, and  on  his  way  thither  visited  Berlin  Here  he  was 
presented  to  the  king  of  Prussia,  who  extended  to  him 
a  cordial  and  flattering  reception,  and  to  whom  he 
exhibited  his  methods  of  instruction.  On  his  arrival  at 
St.  Petersburg,  Haiiy  organized  an  institution  over 
which  he  presided  for  nine  years  with  great  ability. 

For  thirteen  years  the  place  of  the  "  father  of  the 
blind "  in  the  school  at  Paris  was  supplied  by  an  igno- 
rant instructor  named  Bartrand,  under  whom  the  estab- 
lishment lost  nearly  all  its  early  reputation.  He  died 
suddenly  on  the  4th  of  March,  1814  ;  and  in  the  follow- 
ing month,  Dr.  Guillie,  a  man  of  learning,  tact  and 
energy,  but  harsh,  unscrupulous,  untruthful  and  exces- 
sively vain,  was  appointed  to  his  place.  As  the  Bourbons 
had  just  returned  to  France,  the  new  director  availed 
himself  of  every  possible  opportunity  to  bring  his  pupils 
under  their   notice    and    make    known    to    them    their 


72  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

condition  and  wants.  The  government  soon  became 
satisfied  that  a  grave  error  had  been  committed  in  the 
union  of  the  two  institutions  ;  and  they  hastened  to 
rectify  it.  During  the  year  1815  ample  funds  and 
separate  quarters,  in  the  seminary  of  St.  Firmin,  rue  St. 
Victor,  were  assigned  to  the  school,  which  again  assumed 
the  title  of  the  Royal  Institution  for  Blind  Youth.  The 
removal  of  the  establishment  to  the  new  building  was, 
however,  delayed  by  the  political  events  of  the  time 
until  1816,  when  Dr.  Guillie  reorganized  it  with  pomp 
and  parade.  He  at  once  expelled  forty-three  of  the 
pupils,  whose  morals  had  been  contaminated  by  their 
associations  at  the  maison  des  Quinze-  Vingts.  M.  Dufau 
was  appointed  second  instructor  of  the  boys  ;  and  Mile. 
Cardeilhac,  a  young  lady  distinguished  by  her  youth, 
proverbial  beauty,  and  accomplishments,  as  teacher  of 
the  girls.  Under  Dr.  Guillie's  administration  the  study 
of  music  was  in  a  flourishing  condition.  He  knew  how 
to  interest  the  first  artists  of  the  day  in  his  pupils  ;  and 
procured  lessons  and  counsel  gratis  from  such  eminent 
professors  as  Jadin,  Habeneck,  Dacosta,  Duport,  Perne, 
Dauprat,  Benazet  and  Vogt.  Under  these  great  masters, 
Marjolin,  Charraux,  Lamaury,  Dupuis,  and  the  pianiste 
Sophie  Osmond  became  veritable  artists.  But,  with  this 
exception,  everything  else  was  done  for  effect  and  show. 
Manufactured  articles  were  purchased  at  the  bazaars 
and  were  exhibited  as  the  work  of  the  blind  children. 
Greek,  Latin,  English,  German,  Italian,  and  Spanish 
were  professedly  taught,  and  the  scholars  made  glib 
public  recitations  in  them  by  the  aid  of  interlinear 
translations ;  while  at  the  same  time  they  were  not 
versed  even  in  the  elements  of  arithmetic  and  history. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  73 

The  necessary  was  sacrificed  to  the  superfluous.     Add 
to  this  flagrant  charlatanism  Dr.  Guillie's  malignity  and 
narrowness,  and  you  will  have  a  complete  picture  of  the 
character  of  the  man.     He  seemed  to  regard  any  refer- 
ence to  Haiiy  as  a   personal  insult;    and  forbade  the 
teachers,  many  of  whom  had  been  instructed  and  trained 
by   him,    even    to    mention    the    name    of  their    early 
benefactor.     In  1817,  Dr.  Guillie    published   the  first 
edition  of  his  Essai   sur  VImtmction    des   Aveugles,  in 
the  two  hundred  and  forty  pages  of  which  he  labored 
studiously  wholly  to  ignore  the  great  services  and  sacri- 
fices of  the  noble  founder  of  the  institution  (alluding  to 
his  name  only  twice  en  passant)^  and  to    attribute   its 
origin  to  Louis  XVI. 

In  the  very  same  year  Haiiy,  feeling  the  pressure  of 
disease  as  well  as  the  effects  of  old  age,  determined  to 
return  to  his  native  land  to  die.  His  parting  with  the 
Czar  Alexander  was  very  affecting.  The  emperor  em- 
braced him  repeatedly,  and  conferred  upon  him  the 
order  of  St.  Vladimir.  On  his  arrival  in  Paris,  Haiiy 
was  domiciled  with  his  brother,  the  abbe.  His  heart 
was,  however,  overflowing  with  affection  for  the  school 
which  he  had  organized,  and  he  hastened,  feeble  as  he 
was,  to  pay  it  a  visit.  But  Dr.  Guillie  refused  him  ad- 
mission, under  the  sham  excuse  that,  as  he  had  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  revolution,  it  would  be  displeasing 
to  the  royal  family  to  have  him  recognized.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  believe  that  even  a  Bourbon,  imbecile  as  Louis 
XVIII.  was,  could  have  authorized  so  contemptible  an 
act.  This  cruelty,  added  to  numerous  other  misdeeds  of 
the  director,  led  to  such  a  clamor  against  Dr.  Guillie, 
that  the  government  was  compelled  to  order  an  investi- 


10 


74  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

gation  of  his  management  of  the  institution.  After 
careful  and  thorough  inquiry,  the  commission  appointed 
for  this  purpose  reported  that  in  every  department  they 
had  found  ample  evidence  of  fraud,  humbug,  trickery, 
and  deception.  This  statement  was  so  abundantly  illus- 
trated by  a  detailed  array  of  facts,  that  the  miserable 
man,  finding  the  poisoned  chalice  which  he  had  drugged 
for  others  commended  to  his  own  lips,  was  fain  to  re- 
sign amid  a  storm  of  popular  indignation,  followed  in 
his  retirement  by  the  fair  Mademoiselle  Cardeilhac,  who 
had  often  tempered  the  harshness  of  the  proceedings  of 
her  chief,  and  willingly  served  as  a  channel  through 
which  his  graces  descended  upon  the  heads  of  offenders. 
Dr.  Guillie  was  succeeded  in  February,  1821,  by  Dr. 
Pignier,  who  was  a  man  of  truth  and  honor,  but  whose 
education,  which  had  been  received  entirely  in  the 
monkish  seminaries,  rendered  him  illiberal,  suspicious, 
and  utterly  unfit  for  the  post.  After  reorganizing  the 
school,  and  adopting  regulations  which  should  prevent 
the  repetition  of  the  disgraceful  practices  of  the  preced- 
ing administration,  the  new  director  felt  that  it  was  due 
to  Haiiy  that  his  eminent  services  should  be  recognized 
by  a  suitable  ovation.  Accordingly,  on  the  22d  of 
August,  1821,  a  public  concert,  in  his  honor,  was  given 
at  the  institution,  and  the  pupils  and  teachers  vied  with 
each  other  in  their  expressions  of  gratitude  to  the 
"  father  of  the  blind."  Songs  and  choruses,  composed 
for  the  occasion,  commemorated  his  trials,  his  hardships 
and  his  successes ;  and,  as  the  good  old  man,  with 
streaming  eyes,  witnessed  the  triumphant  results  of  his 
early  labors,  and  listened  to  the  expressions  of  thankful- 
ness, he  exclaimed,  "  Give  not  the  praise   to    me,  my 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  75 

children ;  it  is  God  who  has  done  all."  It  was  his  last 
visit  to  the  institution.  His  health,  long  feeble,  gave 
way  during  the  succeeding  autumn  ;  and,  after  months 
of  suffering,  he  died  on  the  18th  of  March,  1822,  in  the 
seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Thus  ended  the  career 
of  Valentin  Haiiy,  one  of  the  noblest  men  and  the 
greatest  benefactors  of  humanity,  whose  name  will  al- 
ways be  pronounced  with  profound  veneration  among 
the  blind  of  the  civilized  world. 

Dr.  Pignier's  administration  lasted  nineteen  years. 
During  this  period  there  were  but  few  innovations 
made  either  in  the  matter  or  the  manner  of  the  instruc- 
tion in  the  literary  department ;  but  a  new  era  was  in- 
augurated in  several  other  respects.  The  character  of 
music  was  entirely  changed.  The  art  of  tuning  as  a 
lucrative  employment  for  the  blind  was  developed  and 
introduced  by  Mental,  one  of  the  pupils,  to  whom  the 
director,  disregarding  the  clamor  and  bitter  opposition 
of  the  seeing  tuner  hired  by  the  institution,  gave  first 
opportunities  of  studying  the  construction  of  the  piano- 
forte, and  afterwards  the  place  of  teacher ;  and  whose 
subsequent  career  as  one  of  the  great  piano-manufac- 
turers of  Paris,  and  the  author  of  the  best  manual  on 
tuning,  is  well  known.  The  system  of  writing  and 
printing  in  raised  points  likewise  came  into  use  at  this 
time.  It  was  really  invented,  in  principle,  by  a  seeing 
man,  named  Charles  Barbier,  in  1825  ;  but  was  im- 
proved, perfected  and  arranged  in  its  present  form  by 
a  sightless  musician,  Louis  Braille,  whose  name  has 
been  attached  to  it  ever  since. 

Dr.  Guillie,  whose  principal  object  was  to  dazzle  the 
public,  considered  a  fine  orchestra  and  a  few  brilliant 


76  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

soloists  as  the  best  means  for  this  purpose,  and  devoted 
all  his  energies  to  its  accomplishment.     His  successor 
had  altogether  different  views  on    the    subject.     Fash- 
ioned in  religious  habits,  Dr.  Pignier    attributed    very 
little  importance  to  secular  music,  and  sought  to  direct 
the  efforts  of  his  instructors  and  pupils  to  that  of  the 
church,-  and  most  especially  to  the  organ.     Thus  a  great 
impetus  was  given  in  this  direction,  the  result  of  which 
was  the  production  of  a  large  number  of  eminent  organ- 
ists, who  found  their  way  into  the  parochial  churches  of 
Paris,  and  the   cathedrals    of  Blois,  Evreux,  Limoges, 
Orleans,  Tours,  Meaux  and  Vannes.     Among  these  were 
Gauthier,  who  subsequently  became  principal  teacher  of 
music  at  the  institution,  and  author  of  a  treatise  on  the 
"  Mechanism  ut"  Musical  Composition,"  and  of  several 
other  works  ;  Marius  Gueit,  Poissant,  Braille,  and  Mon- 
couteau,  who  afterwards  published  a  manual  on  "  Musi- 
cal C Composition,"  and  a  treatise  on  "  Harmony,"  which 
was  most   favorably  commended  by  several  competent 
musicians,  and  particularly  by  Berlioz,  the  severest  critic 
of  the  time.     Thorough  and  careful  study  of  the  organ, 
both  in  theory  and  practice,  has  ever  since  been  one  of 
the  prominent  features  of  this  pioneer  institution  for  the 
blind  ;  and  there  are  to-day  no  less  than  two  hundred  blind 
organists  and  choristers  employed  in  the  churches  of  the 
capital  and  the  provinces  of  France.     The  names  of  a 
large  number  of  these  are  given  in  full  in  a  pamphlet 
recently  published  in  Paris  by  Maurice  de  la  Sizeranne, 
under  the  title  Les  aveugles  utiles. 

The  institution  was  thriving  in  1825,  when  Dr.  Pig- 
nier spoke  with  much  satisfaction  in  his  report  of  the 
effects  of  the  direction  which  he  had  given  to  its  affairs, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  77 

and  earnestly  recommended,  among  other  projects,  the 
removal  of  the  establishment  to  a  healthier  location 
and  the  provision  of  better  accommodations  than  those 
which  they  had  in  the  rue  St.  Victor.  But  the  tide  of 
prosperity  and  progress  seemed  to  have  reached  its 
highest  mark  at  this  time ;  for  soon  after  signs  of  deca- 
dence  and  retrogression  began  to  appear  on  all  sides, 
and  their  sinister  work  was  so  rapidly  and  effectually 
accomplished,  that  in  1832  one  of  the  ministers  pio- 
claimed  from  the  national  tribune  that  "  the  condition 
of  the  establishment  was  deplorable  in  every  respect." 
This  state  of  things  continued,  only  going  from  bad  to 
worse,  for  several  years.  At  length  the  vices  and  weak- 
nesses of  the  administration,  the  want  of  union  among 
the  instructors,  and  internal  quarrels,  dissensions,  strife, 
and  heart-burnings,  brought  about  such  confusion  and 
anarchy  that  a  new  organization  became  inevitable. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1840,  M.  Dufau,  the  second 
instructor,  succeeded  Dr.  Pignier  as  director.  Soon 
afterwards,  the  administrative  commission,  Avhich  had 
managed  the  establishment  since  18 U,  gave  place  to  an 
advisory  board,  consisting  of  four  members.  The  new 
director  regenerated  the  institution  completely.  He 
modified  the  somewhat  cloistral  manners  into  a  life 
more  in  harmony  with  the  present  state  of  society ; 
freed  the  discipline  from  all  elements  of  arbitrariness 
and  absolutism,  and  rendered  it  more  liberal ;  laid  anew 
the  foundations  of  instruction,  and  restored  to  the 
school  its  old  prestige.  In  1843,  the  institution  was 
transferred  to  its  present  beautiful  building,  the  corner- 
stone of  which  was  laid  in  1838.  The  want  of  harmony 
existing  between  the  older  administration  and  the   or- 


78  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 

ganization  which  followed  it,  required  new  regulations. 
These  were  issued  in  1845,  and  have  remained  in  full 
force  ever  since. 

I  have  given  the  history  of  the  pioneer  school  for  the 
blind  at  considerably  greater  length  than  is  admissible 
in  the  limits  of  a  brief  sketch  like  this,  for  three  rea- 
sons :  firstly,  on  account  of  the  importance  of  the  causes 
and  events  which  brought  it  into  existence ;  secondly, 
on  account  of  the  pleasant  memories  and  the  noble 
examples  of  enthusiasm,  self-denial,  and  disinterested- 
ness which  cluster  around  its  infancy ;  and  thirdly,  be- 
cause it  served  more  or  less  as  a  model  in  the  formation 
of  similar  establishments  all  over  the  civilized  world. 
This  last  fact  renders  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
details  of  its  rise  and  development  indispensable  to  all 
who  labor  in  the  same  field ;  but  particularly  to  those 
who  are  earnestly  endeavoring  to  clear  that  field  from 
chronic  errors,  weed  out  abuses,  and  rid  it  of  all  para- 
sitical evils  and  noxious  plants. 

IV.  —  Schools  for  the  Blind  in  Great  Britain  and  Europe. 

The  seeds  of  Haiiy's  marvellous  creation  were  sown 
everywhere,  and  schools  for  the  blind  sprang  up  first 
in  England,  and  afterwards  in  all  the  principal  countries 
of  Europe. 

The  second  institution  for  sightless  children,  in  point 
of  time,  was  founded  in  Liverpool,  in  1791,  by  Mr.  Pud- 
sey  Dawson,  who  died  in  1816.  It  was  supported  by 
subscriptions,  donations,  and  legacies,  and  its  object  was 
to  teach  poor  blind  children  to  work  at  trades,  to  sing  in 
church,  and  to  play  the  organ.  Literary  education  was 
not  included  within  its  scope. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  79 

Dr.  Blacklock,  of  Edmburgh,  had    often  wished   to 
erect  a  school  for  children  similarly  afflicted  with  him- 
self, and  communicated  his  views  on  the  subject  to  Mr. 
David   Miller,  who  was    also  blind  from  birth,  and    a 
competent  instructor.     It  was  for  this  purpose  that  Dr. 
Blacklock  made  a  careful  study  of  Haiiy's  methods,  and 
even  translated  his  famous  essay ;  but  he  took  no  steps 
toward  carrying  out   his   intention.     After  Dr.  Black- 
lock's  death,  which  occurred  in  1791,  Mr.  Miller  enlisted 
the  interest  of  Dr.  David  Johnston   in  the  enterprise, 
and   through    their    combined    efforts    the    project  was 
placed  before  the  public,  and  the  necessary  means  were 
raised  for  the  foundation  of  a  school,  which  was  opened 
in  1793  with  nine  pupils.     Mr.  Eobert  Johnston,  the 
secretary  of  the  establishment,  devoted  his  energies  to 
its  welfare  and  prosperity,  and  Dr.  Henry  Moyes,  the 
celebrated   blind   professor  of  philosophy  and   natural 
history    in    Edinburgh,  announced    a    public   seance   in 
behalf  of  his  fellow-sufferers,  which  was  attended  by  a 
laro-e  number  of  the  best  citizens,  and  proved  remark- 
ably successful  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view. 

At  about  the  same  time  the  Bristol  asylum  and  in- 
dustrial school  for  the  blind  was  established,  the  object 
of  which  was  to  teach  sightless  children  such  handicraft 
as  would  enable  them  to  earn  their  own  hving. 

In  1799,  Messrs.  Ware,  Bosanquet,  Boddington,  and 
Houlston  founded  a  similar  institution  in  London,  which, 
in  1800,  had  only  fifteen  inmates,  and  attracted  very 
little  attention.  Subsequently  generous  subscriptions 
poured  into  its  treasury,  and  the  school  at  St.  George's 
in  the  Fields  increased  both  in  numbers  and  usefulness. 
The  next  institution  for  the  blind  in  Great  Britain 


80  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

was  organized  at  Norwich,  in  1805.  It  was  a  blind  man 
named  Tawell,  who  not  only  inaugurated  a  public  move- 
ment, but  ceded  a  house  with  the  surrounding  grounds 
for  this  purpose. 

Similar  establishments  were  afterwards  founded  in 
Glasgow,  York,  Manchester,  and  elsewhere ;  but  most 
of  the  British  schools  for  the  blind  have  never  taken  a 
high  stand  in  their  literary  or  musical  training. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  institutions 
for  the  blind  were  established  in  various  parts  of  Europe 
in  the  following  order :  that  of  Vienna  in  1804,  by  Dr. 
Klein,  who  was  its  director  for  about  fifty  years ;  that 
of  Berlin,  —  the  soil  for  which  was  thoroughly  prepared 
by  Plaiiy  himself  while  on  his  way  to  Russia,  —  in 
1806,  under  the  superintendence  of  Herr  Zeune,  and 
that  of  Amsterdam  in  1808,  by  an  association  of  free- 
masons. In  the  same  year,  two  more  institutions  were 
founded :  that  of  Prague,  by  a  charitable  society,  and 
that  of  Dresden.  In  1809,  Haiiy  put  the  school  in  St. 
Petersburg  in  operation,  and  Dr.  Hirzel  organized  that 
of  Zurich.  Two  years  later  an  institution  for  the  blind 
was  established  at  Copenhagen  by  the  society  of  the 
chain,  an  organization  similar  to  that  of  the  free- 
masons ;  and  many  others  soon  after  followed. 

The  schools  for  the  blind  on  the  continent  were 
mainly  fashioned  after  the  model  set  by  Haiiy  in  Paris. 
Dr.  Klein,  the  blind  founder  of  the  Vienna  institution, 
claimed  that  the  idea  of  arranging  a  system  of  educa- 
tion for  his  companions  in  misfortune,  and  the  processes 
for  carrying  it  out,  originated  with  him  without  any  pre- 
vious knowledge  of  what  had  been  done  elsewhere  in 
this  direction.     A  writer  in  the  Encyclopedie  Theologiqae 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  81 

remarks,  that  "  pretensions  of  this  kind  are  not  new," 
and  asks,  "  How  could  Dr.  Klein  be  ignorant  in  1804 
of  a  creation  so  original  as  that  of  Haiiy,  which  was 
demonstrated  in  1784  1  "  Other  French  authors  do  not 
dispute  the  truthfulness  of  the  statement.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  for  us  to  enter  into  a  further  discussion  on 
this  point.  We  cannot  refrain  from  saying,  however, 
that  it  is  a  common  practice  in  our  days  with  unscrupu- 
lous men  of  small  mental  calibre  and  doubtful  veracity 
to  lay  claim  to  inventions  and  processes  for  the  blind 
which  were  conceived  and  publicly  tried  by  others  with- 
in a  stone's  throw  of  their  abode  several  years  before 
they  ever  dreamed  of  them. 

Some  of  the  European  institutions  were  founded  in 
a  moment  of  passing  enthusiasm  ;  but,  like  seed  thrown 
upon  the  rock,  they  found  no  genial  earth  whence  to 
draw  the  necessary  vital  elements  for  their  development, 
and  have  sadly  dwindled.  Others,  though  planted  in  a 
propitious  soil,  and  watered  by  copious  showers  of  pat- 
ronage, have  not  attained  that  lofty  and  luxuriant 
growth  which  their  nature  seemed  to  promise  at  first. 

V.  —  Foundation  of  the  Neic  England  Institution. 

The  first  attempts  to  educate  the  blind  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic  were  made  in  Boston,  and  the  merit  of 
proposing  the  establishment  of  an  institution  for  their 
instruction  and  training  belongs  to  Dr.  John  D.  Fisher 
of  this  city.  While  pursuing  his  medical  studies  in 
Paris,  he  paid  frequent  visits  to  the  royal  institution  for 
the  young  blind,  and  conceived  the  design  of  transplant- 
ing to  his  own  country  the  advantages  there  enjoyed. 

After  his  return  to  Boston,  in  1826,  he  kept  the  matter 
11 


82  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

constantly  in  view,  and  opened  a  correspondence  with 
Mr.  Kobert  Johnston,  secretary  of  the  asylum  for  the 
blind  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Many  other  Americans 
had,  it  is  true,  visited  these  beneficent  establishments 
of  the  old  world,  and  on  their  return  had  delighted 
their  friends  with  the  details  of  the  curious  methods  of 
instruction  and  training  therein  pursued ;  but  none 
of  them  had  ever  before  this  time  attempted,  by  appeals 
to  the  public  or  otherwise,  to  bring  these  means  within 
the  reach  of  the  blind  of  the  new  world. 

Having  consulted  with  his  friends  on  the  subject.  Dr. 
Fisher  was  advised  to  call  a  meeting  of  such  persons  as 
it  was  supposed  would  favor  the  plan  and  take  an  in- 
terest in  promoting  it.  This  meeting  was  held  on  the 
10th  of  February,  1829,  at  the  Exchange  Coifee-house. 
The  legislature  being  in  session,  many  representatives 
from  various  parts  of  the  commonwealth  were  in 
attendance.  The  Hon.  Robert  Rantoul  of  Beverly,  a 
member  of  the  house,  was  appointed  chairman,  and 
Charles  H.  Locke,  of  Boston,  secretary.  At  this  meet- 
ing Dr.  Fisher  gave  a  detailed  and  minute  account  of 
the  several  processes  employed  to  communicate  knowl- 
edge to  the  blind ;  described  the  various  manufactures 
by  which  they  were  enabled  to  obtain  a  livelihood,  and 
exhibited  specimens  of  embossed  books  printed  for  their 
use.  His  statements  excited  a  deep  interest  in  all  pres- 
ent, and  remarks  were  made  by  Mr.  Edward  Brooks  of 
Boston,  Mr.  Stephen  Phillips  of  Salem,  Mr.  Caleb 
Cushing  of  Newburyport,  and  Hon.  William  B.  Cal- 
houn of  Springfield,  speaker  of  the  house,  expressive 
of  their  warm  approbation  of  the  design  and  of  the 
usefulness  of  such  an  institution.      On  motion  of  Dr. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  —  No.  27.  83 

Fisher,  it  was  then  voted,  "that  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  consider  what  measures  should  be  adopted 
to  promote  the  establishment  of  an  institution  for  the 
blind  of  New  England ; "  and  the  following  gentlemen 
were  accordingly  appointed  :  —  Hon.  Jonathan  Phil- 
lips, Mr.  Theodore  Sedgwick,  Mr.  Richard  D.  Tucker, 
Mr.  Edward  Brooks,  and  Dr.  John  D.  Fisher. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  on  the  19th  of  Feb- 
ruary, at  the  representatives'  hall  in  the  state-house, 
the  above-named  committee  made  a  report,  which 
closed  with  the  following  resolution  :  — 

'■'■  Resolved,  that  wc  are  impressed  with  a  deep  sense  of  the 
utility  of  institutions  for  the  education  of  the  blind,  and  that  a 
committee  be  appointed  to  take  all  measures  necessarj-  for  the 
establishment  of  such  an  institution  for  the  blind  of  New  Eng- 
land." 

After  the  reading  of  the  report,  Dr.  Fisher  repeated 
the  statements  which  he  had  made  at  the  previous 
meeting.  The  nature  and  object  of  the  proposed  in- 
stitution were  explained  and  recommended  by  Mr. 
Edward  Brooks  and  Mr.  Theodore  Sedgwick  of  Stock- 
bridge.  The  above  resolution  was  then  unanimously 
adopted,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were  put  on  the 
committee  :  —  Hon.  Jonathan  Phillips,  Mr.  Richard  D. 
Tucker,  Mr.  Edward  Brooks,  Mr.  Theodore  Sedgwick, 
Dr.  John  D.  Fisher,  Hon.  William  B.  Calhoun,  Mr. 
Stephen  C.  Phillips,  Mr.  George  Bond,  Mr.  Samuel  M. 
M'Kay,  Hon.  Josiah  J.  Fiske,  Mr.  Isaac  L.  Hedge,  Dr. 
John  Homans,  and  Hon.  William  Thorndike. 

This  committee  applied  immediately  to  the  legisla- 
ture for  an  act  of  incorporation,  which  was  granted 
unanimously  in  both  houses  without  debate.     The  act 


84  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

is  dated  March  2,  1829.  The  name  of  the  corpora- 
tion was  "  The  New  England  Asylum  for  the  Blind"  and 
the  purpose  of  its  formation  was  to  educate  sightless 
persons.  Hon.  Jonathan  PhilHps,  of  Boston,  was 
authorized  by  the  act  to  call  the  first  meeting  of  the 
corporation,  by  giving  three  weeks'  notice  in  three  of 
the  Boston  newspapers.  The  legislature  passed,  more- 
over, a  resolve  directing  the  secretary  of  state  to  send 
circulars  to  the  several  towns,  to  ascertain  the  number 
of  blind  persons  in  the  commonwealth,  and  their  con- 
dition. 

The  corporation  thus  formed  proceeded  somewhat 
slowly  in  organizing  and  starting  this  new  enterprise, 
and  for  more  than  two  years  little  progress  was  appar- 
ently made.  Its  first  meeting,  which  was  held  at  the 
Marlborough  House,  April  17,  1829,  resulted  in  the 
acceptance  of  the  act  of  incorporation  granted  by  the 
legislature,  and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
prepare  by-laws  and  an  address  to  be  circulated  in  its 
behalf.  Two  subsequent  meetings  were  held  during 
the  same  year,  at  the  Exchange  Cofi'ee-house,  at  which 
a  set  of  by-laws  was  adopted,  and  measures  were  taken 
for  obtaining  reliable  information  as  to  the  number  and 
condition  of  the  blind  in  the  city  of  Boston  and 
throughout  the  state  of  Massachusetts.  In  the  follow- 
ing year,  the  corporation  elected  its  first  board  of  offi- 
cers, consisting  of  the  following  gentlemen  :  —  Hon. 
Jonathan  V\\\]lv^s^  president ;  Hon.  William  B.  Calhoun, 
vice-president ;  Mr.  Richard  D.  Tucker,  treasurer ;  Mr. 
Charles  H.  Locke,  secretary ;  Dr.  John  D.  Fisher,  Dr. 
John  Homans,  and  Messrs.  Joseph  Coolidge,  Pliny 
Cutler,  William   H.    Prescott,  Samuel    T.    Armstrong, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  85 

Edward  Brooks,  aad  Stephen  C.  Phillips,  trustees.     In 
accordance  with    the    act    of  incorporation,  four  other 
trustees  were  chosen  by  the  state  board  of  visitors,  con- 
sisting of  the    governor,  the   lieutenant-governor,  the 
president  of  the  senate,  the   speaker  of  the  house  of 
representatives,   and  the    chaplains    of  the  legislature. 
A  motion  was  made  to  change  the  name  of  the  corpora- 
tion  from   that   of  the    New  England  Asylum  for   the 
Blind,  to  the  Americm  Asylum  for  the  Blind ;  but  after 
discussion  it  was  withdrawn.      Meanwhile  Dr.  P'isher, 
who  had  been  foremost  in  promoting  this  noble  enter- 
prise, being   unable   to   engage   in  it   personally,  had 
enhsted  the  sympathy  and  cooperation  of  Dr.  Samuel 
G.  Howe,  who  had  just  returned  from  the  scenes  of  his 
philanthropic  mission  and  military  exploits  in  Greece. 
A  small  fund  for  commencing  the  work  had  been  pro- 
vided by  the  legislature,  which,  by  a  resolve  of  March 
9,  1830,  allowed  to  the  institution  for  the  blind  the  un- 
expended balance   of  the    appropriation    for  the    deaf- 
mutes    at   the    Hartford,  asylum  ;    and  on  the  18th  of 
August,  1831,  the  trustees  entered  into  an  agreement 
with  Dr.  Howe,  by  which  he  was  engaged  as  "  princi- 
pal "  or  "  superintendent "  of  the  asylum  for  the  educa- 
tion of  blind  persons.     In  article  HI.  of  this  contract 
he  was  intrusted  as  follows  :  —  "  The  first  duty  of  Dr. 
Howe  will  be  to  embark  for  Europe,  in  order  to  make 
himself  fully  acquainted  with  the  mode  of  conducting 
such  institutions;  to  procure  one,  or  at  most  two,  in- 
structed Wind  as  assistant  teachers ;  also,  the  necessary 
apparatus." 

In  accordance  with  these  instructions.  Dr.  Howe  im- 
mediately sailed  for  Europe,  where  he  visited  and  care- 


86  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

fully  studied  all  the  principal  institutions  for  the  blind ; 
and  in  his  report  to  the  trustees  he  says  that  he  "  found 
in  all  much  to  admire  and  copy,  but  also  much  to 
avoid."  On  the  whole,  however,  he  "  considered  them  as 
beacons  to  warn  rather  than  as  lights  to  guide."  In  an 
article  on  the  education  of  the  blind,  published  by  him 
two  years  later  in  the  "  North  American  Review,"  he 
criticized  their  work  at  some  length,  and  said  that  "  the 
school  of  Edinburgh  was  decidedly  of  a  higher  order 
than  any  other  in  Great  Britain."  Of  that  of  Paris  his 
imj^ressions  were  very  unfavorable,  and  were  expressed 
as  follows  :  "  There  pervades  that  establishment  a  spirit 
of  illiberality,  of  mysticism,  amounting  almost  to  charla- 
tanism, that  ill  accords  with  the  well-known  liberality 
of  most  French  institutions.  There  is  a  ridiculous  at- 
tempt at  mystery,  —  an  effort  at  show  and  parade, 
which  injure  the  establishment  in  the  minds  of  men  of 
sense.  Instead  of  throwing  wide  open  the  door  of 
knowledge,  and  inviting  the  scrutiny  and  the  sugges- 
tions of  every  friend  of  humanity,  the  process  of  educa- 
tion is  not  explained,  and  the  method  of  constructing 
some  of  the  apparatus  is  absolutely  kept  a  secret.  We 
say  this  from  personal  knowledge." 

Dr.  Howe  returned  to  Boston  in  July  of  1832,  bring- 
ing with  him,  as  assistants,  Mr.  Emile  Trencheri,  a 
graduate  of  the  Paris  school,  as  literary  teacher,  and 
Mr.  John  Pringle,  of  the  Edinburgh  institution,  as  mas- 
ter of  handicrafts.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he 
opened  a  school  at  his  father's  residence.  No.  144  Pleas- 
ant street,  having  as  pupils  six  "  blind  persons  from 
different  parts  of  the  state,  varying  in  age  from  six  to 
twenty  years."     These  scholars  had  been  under  instruc- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  87 

tion  five  months,  and  had  ah*eady  learned  to  read  em- 
bossed prmt ;  had  made  considerable  progress  in  the 
study  of  geography  from  maps  in  relief,  in  arithmetic, 
and  in  music,  when  a  memorial  was  presented  to  the 
legislature,  in  January,  1833,  setting  forth  the  condi- 
tion and  wants  of  the  institution  and  praying  for  aid. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation  in  that  year. 
Dr.  Howe  was  elected  secretary,  and  this  office,  together 
with  that  of  superintendent,  or  "  director,"  of  the  insti- 
tution, he  held  from  that  time  until  his  death  in  1876, 
a  period  of  forty-three  years. 

Early  in  the  year  1833,  the  half-dozen  pupils  with 
whom  Dr.  Howe  had  commenced  the  experiment  of 
teachins:  sisrhtless  children  exhibited  the  results  of  their 
six  months'  tuition  before  the  legislature  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  practicability  of  educating  the  blind 
was  so  satisfactorily  proved  by  their  performances,  that 
the  general  court  at  once  made  an  appropriation  of  six 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  to  the  institution,  on  condi- 
tion that  it  should  receive  and  educate,  free  of  cost, 
twenty  poor  blind  persons  belonging  to  the  state.  A 
number  of  public  exhibitions  were  given  in  Boston, 
Salem,  and  elsewhere,  and  an  address,  containing  much 
valuable  information  collected  by  Dr.  Howe  while  in 
Europe,  was  widely  circulated.  The  result  of  these 
efforts  was  far  more  favorable  than  had  been  expected, 
and  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the  community  were 
so  thoroughly  roused  and  excited,  that  subscriptions  and 
donations  were  freely  given.  The  ladies  of  Salem  first 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  fair;  and,  assisted  by  those  of 
Marblehead  and  Newburyport,  they  got  up  a  splendid 
fHe^  which,  besides  calling  forth  a  display  of  all  the 


88  INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

energy  of  female  character  and  all  the  kindlier  feelings 
of  the  human  heart,  resulted  in  a  net  profit  of  |2,980. 
Resolving  not  to  be  outdone,  the  ladies  of  Boston  en- 
tered the  field  with  great  ardor,  and,  persevering  for 
several  weeks,  they  opened  a  bazaar  on  the  first  of  May, 
in  Faneuil  Hall,  which  exceeded  in  splendor  and  taste 
anything  of  the  kind  ever  got  up  in  this,  or  perhaps 
in  any  other,  country.  A  vivid  description  of  the  fair, 
from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Howe,  was  pubhshed  in  the  "  New 
England  Magazine,"  and  its  net  profits  amounted  to 
111,400. 

The  institution  had  now  taken  firm  hold  upon  the 
sympathies  of  a  generous  public,  and  it  needed  some- 
thing to  call  forth  and  direct  its  expression;  this  was 
the  donation  of  Col.  Thomas  H.  Perkins  of  his  mansion- 
house  and  grounds  on  Pearl  street,  valued  at  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  for  a  permanent  location  for  the 
school,  provided  that  a  fund  of  fifty  thousand  dollars 
could  be  raised.  The  following  imperfect  cut  of  the 
mansion  is  copied  from  the  "  Penny  Magazine  for  Use- 
ful Knowledge." 

The  liberal  spirit  of  Col.  Perkins  was  so  warmly 
seconded  by  the  community,  that  within  one  month  the 
sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  contributed.  Exhibi- 
tions were  also  given  in  other  states,  and  the  legisla- 
ture of  Connecticut  voted  an  appropriation  of  one 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  for  twelve  years,  for  as 
many  blind  children  as  could  be  educated  for  that  sum  ; 
Vermont  made  an  appropriation  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars,  for  ten  years ;  and  Xew  Hampshire  a  temporary 
appropriation  of  five  hundred  dollars.  The  states  of 
Maine  and  Rhode  Island   afterwai'ds  adopted  a  similar 


1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


89 


course,  and  thus  the  institution  at  Boston  became  the 
educational  estabhshment  for  the  bhnd  of  all  the  New 
England  states,  as  the  asylum  at  Hartford  already  was 
for  the  deaf-mutes. 


MA>sS10N-110U^E  AND   GROUNDS    OF   COL.   THOMAS   II.   I'KUKINS. 

Sufficient  means  to  insure  the  permanent  establish- 
ment of  the  school  having  been  thus  provided,  such 
alterations  as  were  necessary  to  accommodate  a  large 
number  of  pupils  were  made  upon  the  premises  in 
Pearl  street,  and  an  adjoining  estate  was  purchased, 
which  was  much  needed  for  a  play-ground.  By  this 
addition  the   corporation  became  owners  of  the  whole 


90  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

square  between  Pearl  and  Atkinson  streets.  The  insti- 
tution was  advertised  as  open  to  pupils  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  the  little  school  already  opened  at  Dr. 
Howe's  residence  was  removed  to  its  new  home  in 
September,  1833.  At  the  close  of  the  year  the  num- 
ber of  pupils  had  increased  to  thirty-four. 

The  school  being  now  well  established,  and  in  a  con- 
dition of  vigorous  growth,  Dr.  Howe  began  to  devote 
himself  to  the  study  and  improvement  of  the  means  and 
appliances  for  teaching  the  blind.  By  his  own  exertions 
he  raised  subscriptions  for  a  printing-fund ;  and,  after 
many  and  costly  experiments  with  the  ordinary  printing- 
press,  a  new  one,  especially  adapted  to  the  work  of  em- 
bossing books  for  the  blind,  was  obtained  at  considerable 
expense.  A  series  of  experiments  made  by  the  doctor 
in  arranging  an  alphabet  legible  to  the  touch,  resulted 
in  the  adoption  of  a  slight  modification  of  the  ordinary 
Roman  letter  of  the  lower-case ;  and  this  has  been 
known  as  the  Boston  type.  This  was  the  first  printing- 
office  for  the  blind  opened  in  any  American  institution ; 
and  its  work  was  so  actively  carried  on  that  very  flatter- 
ins:  testimonials  of  its  worth  were  soon  received  in  the 
shape  of  orders  from  England,  Ireland  and  Holland. 
The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  society  ordered  a  com- 
plete edition  of  the  book  of  psalms,  for  which  they  paid 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  exertions  of  Dr. 
Howe  to  establish  a  printing-fund  for  the  blind  on  a 
solid  and  permanent  basis  were  incessant  and  unwearied, 
in  season  and  out  of  season.  For  this  end  he  visited 
Washington  with  three  of  his  pupils,  whose  attainments 
he  exhibited  to  the  members  of  congress,  hoping  to 
induce  them  to  found  a  national  printing-establishment 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  91 

for  the  blind.  Failing  in  his  first  (^ort,  he  organized  a 
second  visit  to  Washington  in  1846,  accompanied  by  the 
superintendents  and  select  scholars  of  the  institutions 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  pupils  from 
this  school,  and  proposed  to  congress  either  to  give  a 
portion  of  the  fund  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute  for 
this  purpose,  or  to  make  an  endowment  similar  to  that 
received  by  the  asylum  for  deaf-mutes  at  Hartford. 
The  prospects  looked  hopeful  for  the  accomphshment 
of  so  great  and  noble  an  end,  when  the  darkening  of 
the  political  horizon  by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican 
war  precluded  the  furtherance  of  the  enterprise  by  the 
entu-e  engrossment  of  congress  in  that  momentous  sub- 
ject. 

Instruction  in  the  literary  department  of  the  institu- 
tion included  not  only  the  simple  branches  of  a  common- 
school  education,  but  some  of  the  higher  mathematics, 
a  knowledge  of  history,  astronomy  and  natural  philoso- 
phy ;  and  the  study  of  languages  was  early  introduced. 
In  addition  to  vocal  music  and  instruction  upon  the 
piano  and  organ,  the  foundation  for  an  orchestra  was 
immediately  commenced.  The  tuning  of  pianofortes  was 
taught  as  a  practical  employment,  and  a  mechanical 
department  was  opened  for  male  pupils,  in  which  they 
learned  to  manufacture  mattresses,  cushions,  mats  and 
baskets ;  while  the  girls  were  taught  sewing,  knitting, 
braidinsr,  and  some  household  duties. 

The  institution  grew  so  rapidly  that  within  a  short 
time  increased  accommodations  were  necessary  ;  and  a 
new  wing,  as  extensive  as  the  original  building,  was 
erected  in  1835. 

The  state  continued  its  annual  appropriation  for  its 


92  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

beneficiaries ;  and  ugon  this  the  institution  was  mainly 
dependent  for  the  means  of  meeting  its  current  expenses. 
This  income  was,  however,  supplemented  by  the  smaller  ' 
appropriations  made  by  the  other  New  England  states, 
by  fees  received  from  private  pupils  (some  of  whom 
came  from  distant  parts  of  the  country),  by  donations, 
and  an  occasional  legacy. 

In  1839,  an  opportunity  occurred  for  advantageously 
changing  the  location  of  the  establishment.  The  Mount 
Washington  House,  on  Dorchester  Heights,  at  South 
Boston,  was  thrown  into  the  market ;  and  Col.  Perkins 
having  very  generously  and  promptly  withdrawn  all  the 
conditions  and  restrictions  attached  to  the  gift  of  his 
mansion  for  a  permanent  residence  for  the  blind,  an 
even  exchange  of  the  Pearl  street  estate  for  the  Mount 
Washington  House  was  effected.  In  grateful  apprecia- 
tion of  the  liberality  of  Col.  Perkins,  not  only  in  his 
first  gift,  but  also  in  the  alacrity  with  which  he  withdrew 
all  its  restrictions  when  they  became  a  hindrance  to  the 
growth  of  the  institution,  the  trustees  desired  to  connect 
his  name  permanently  with  the  establishment,  and  ac- 
cordingly, at  their  recommendation,  the  corporation 
passed,  at  a  meeting  held  March  15,  1839,  a  resolve, 
"  That  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  April  next,  this 
institution  shall  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  Asylum  for 
THE  Blind." 

The  establishment  was  removed  to  the  new  premises 
in  South  Boston  in  May,  1839.  The  elevated  situation, 
the  abundance  of  open  ground  in  the  neighborhood,  the 
unobstructed  streets,  and  the  facilities  for  sea-bathing, 
made  this  change  of  location  highly  desirable  on  account 


1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


98 


of  its  superior  healthfulness  ;  and  the  spacious  building, 
which  afforded  large  and  airy  rooms  for  the  various 
needs  of  the  school,  and  gave  ample  space,  not  only  for 
a  large  increase  in  the  number  of  pupils,  but  also  for 
entirely  separate  arrangements  for  each  sex,  combined 
to  render  it  such  an  acquisition  as  the  best  friends  of  the 
institution  would  desire,  but  such  as  the  most  sanguine 
would  scarcely  have  dared  to  hope  for. 


PERKINS   INSTITrTlON   AND   MASSACHUSETTS   ASYLUM   FOR    THE    BLIND. 


In  1840,  an  additional  department  was  opened  "for 
the  purpose  of  providing  employment  for  those  pupils  who 
have  acquired  their  education  and  learned  to  work,  but 
who  could  not  find  employment  or  carry  on  business 
alone."  The  making,  cleansing  and  renovating  of  beds, 
mattresses  and  cushions ;  the  manufacture  of  mats  and 
brooms  and  cane-seating  chairs,  were  the  occupations 
chosen  as  those  in  which  the  blind  could  best  compete 
with  seeing  workmen.  In  reference  to  the  need  of  such 
a  department,  the  trustees  in  their  annual  report  wrote 
as  follows :  — 


94  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

"  Many  a  blind  person  has  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
some  handicraft,  but  he  cannot  work  at  it  as  seeing 
workmen  do,  or  be  employed  in  a  common  workshop. 
He  has  no  capital,  perhaps,  and  cannot  buy  materials, 
or  wait  uncertain  times  for  the  sales,  and  he  is  idle.  It 
is  for  the  sake  of  such  persons,  and  we  are  happy  to  say, 
that  a  separate  work  department  has  been  opened  during 
the  past  year  ;  and  a  beginning  made  of  an  establishment 
which,  if  successful,  will  become  of  great  value  to  the 
blind." 

The  test  of  years  proved  this  department  to  be  a  valu- 
able auxiliary  in  assisting  the  blind  to  self-maintenance, 
not  only  by  furnishing  the  necessary  aid  by  which  many 
of  the  adult  pupils  could  carry  on  their  trades  in  fair 
competition  with  ordinary  workmen,  but  also  in  provid- 
ing for  another  class,  who  had  hitherto  been  left  uncared 
for,  viz.,  those  who,  dependent  upon  manual  labor  for 
self-support,  had  by  accident  or  sickness  been  deprived 
of  sight  at  too  advanced  an  age  to  enter  the  school  as 
ordinary  pupils.  To  many  such  persons  the  opportunity 
thus  afforded  for  learning  a  trade  was  their  only  salva- 
tion from  pauperism. 

At  about  this  period  the  several  departments  of  the 
school  were  arrayed  in  admirable  working  order,  and 
promised  good  harvest.  That  of  music  —  in  which  the 
seeds  of  excellence  were  planted  and  fostered  by  such 
eminent  professors  as  Lowell  Mason,  Joseph  A.  Keller, 
and  later  by  H.  Theodore  Hach  —  had  entered  upon 
that  career  of  beneficence  which  it  has  so  long  and  so 
fully  sustained ;  while  a  number  of  young  men  and 
w^omen  were  remarkably  successful  in  the  field  of  liter- 
ature, and  some  of  th©  former  were  preparing  to  enter 
one  or  two  of  the  leading  colleges  of  New  England. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  95 

The  evils  attendant   upon  congregating  together  so 
many  persons  laboring  under  a  common  infirmity  were 
perceived  at  an  early  date  in  the  history  of  this  institu- 
tion, and  the  unfavorable  effects  were  especially  felt  in 
connection  with  the  industrial  department.     The  result 
was  that  the  first  steps  towards  correcting  this  evil  were 
taken  in   1850;  when,  a  new  workshop  having  been 
erected  (partly  by  a  special  appropriation  of  the  state 
and  partly  at  the  expense  of  the  institution),  the  adult 
blind  were  entirely  removed  from  the  building  and  scat- 
tered about  the  neighborhood,  boarding  in  different  fami- 
lies where  they  could  find  accommodation,  and  going 
daily  to  the  shop  like  ordinary  workmen.     They  were 
paid  regularly  every  month,  and  their  wages  were  usual- 
ly sufficient,  by  prudent  management,  for  their  support. 
Some  who  could  work  successfully  in  their  own  neigh- 
borhoods were  aided  by  the  purchase  of  stock  for  their 
use,  and  by  the  privilege  of  leaving  their  goods  for  sale 
at  the  store  opened  in  the  city  mainly  for  the  benefit  of 
this  department.     Those  who,  from  loss  of  sight  in  later 
life,  entered  the  workshop  to  learn  some  kind  of  handi- 
craft were  expected  to  pay  the  cost  of  their  board  until 
the  trade  was  acquired;  after  which,  if  they  remained, 
they  received  wages  in  proportion  to  the  character  of 
their  work.     The  workshop  for  the  pupils,  however,  con- 
tinued to  be  carried  on  within  the  walls  of  the  institution. 
The  industrial  department   for  adults  furnished  em- 
ployment mainly  to  men,  and  having  proved  so  success- 
ful after  a  trial  of  many  years,  it  was  thought  advisable, 
in  order  to  meet  the  great  need  of  more  occupations  for 
blind  women,  to  try  the  experiment  of  a  laundry  con- 
ducted on  the  same  plan.    Accordingly,  in  1863,  a  build- 


96  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

ing  was  hired  for  the  purpose  and  a  laundry  opened, 
which,  in  addition  to  the  washing  and  ironing  for  the  in- 
stitntion,  and  for  the  school  for  feeble-minded  youth,  also 
sought  the  patronage  of  private  families.  The  experi- 
ment was  continued  for  nearly  five  years  ;  but  much  seeing 
help  was  needed  to  secure  the  satisfactory  performance 
of  the  finer  parts  of  the  work  furnished  by  customers,  and 
the  cost  of  their  services  left  so  small  a  sum  for  the  wages 
of  the  blind  women,  that  the  scheme  was  abandoned  as 
impracticable,  save  for  doing  the  work  of  the  institution. 
The  evils  of  the  congregate  system  were  more  and 
more  felt  as  years  went  on  and  the  growth  of  the  estab- 
lishment increased.  The  subject  of  reorganizing  the 
institution  by  building  several  dwelling-houses  and 
dividing  the  blind  into  families  had  been  repeatedly 
discussed  in  the  annual  reports  for  several  years,  and  a 
claim  for  an  appropriation  for  buildings  was  urged  upon 
the  attention  of  the  legislature.  With  the  exception 
of  five  thousand  dollars  toward  the  erection  of  the  new 
workshop,  in  1850,  the  state  had  furnished  no  means 
for  building  purposes  until,  by  a  resolve  of  1868,  the 
sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  "  was  allowed  for  build- 
ings,—  workshop,  laundry,  etc.,  —  to  be  paid  when  a 
similar  sum  had  actually  been  raised  by  the  friends  of 
the  institution."  But  as  the  experiment  of  a  public 
laundry  was  abandoned,  and  the  building  would  soon 
demand  such  extensive  repairs  and  alterations  as  would 
far  exceed  the  appropriation,  it  was  decided  to  let  this 
remain  until  a  sufficient  sum  could  be  raised  for  such 
new  buildings,  alterations,  and  improvements  as  the 
proper  reorganization  of  the  school  demanded.  Ac- 
cordingly the  trustees  applied  to    the   legislature,  and 


1881.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  97 

« 

their  petition  was  referred  to  the  committee  on  charita- 
ble institutions,  who  reported  unanimously  in  its  favor, 
urging  the  claim  as  follows  :  — 

"  It  would  be  a  waste  of  words  to  urge  the  claim  which  blind 
children  have  for  a  full  share  of  the  means  of  instruction  which 
the  state  accords  to  all  the  3'oung.  They  have  even  stronger 
claims  than  common  children;  they  carry  a  burden  in  their  infir- 
mit}',  because  thej'  come  mostly'  of  poor  and  humble  parents  ;  and 
because,  without  special  instruction  and  training,  the^'  are  almost 
certain,  sooner  or  later,  to  become  a  public  charge.  All  children 
have  a  right  to  instruction.  The  children  of  the  rich  are  sure  to 
get  it ;  and  the  state  is  bound,  alike  by  duty  and  interest,  to  see 
that  none  lacks  the  means  of  obtaining  it.     .     .     . 

"  The  trustees  ask  that  the  commonwealth  will  furnish  them 
with  the  means  of  educating  her  blind  children  in  some  slight  de- 
gree proportionate  to  the  means  she  has  so  liberally  furnislied  for 
educating  her  seeing  children.  Tbcy  do  not  ask  it  as  a  charit}', 
but  tlic}'  expect  it  as  a  part  of  tlie  obligation  early  assumed  to 
educate  ever}-  son  and  daughter  of  the  commonwealth.  For  her 
seeing  children  Massachusetts  opens  primary,  grammar  and  high 
schools.  Every  town  is  required  by  law  to  provide  adequate  in- 
struction, free,  for  all  seeing  children  of  suitable  age.     .     . 

"  We  believe  that  blind  children  have  the  same  claim  upon  the 
state  for  education  as  seeing  children,  and  that  their  needs  are 
greater ;  that  the  commonwealth  owes  to  her  blind  children  the 
opportunities  for  better  education  than  those  hitherto  enjo3-ed, 
which  have  been  confined  almost  entirely  to  merely  elementary 
studies ;  that  she  is  abundantly'  able  to  furnish  them  means,  and 
cannot  afford  to  withhold  them ;  that  she  has  an  institution  where 
these  children  can  be  educated  more  cheaply  and  more  successfully 
than  in  an}-  other  institution  in  the  world,  and  that  every  consid- 
eration of  economy  and  of  humanitj-  appeals  to  the  legislature  to 
place  at  the  disposal  of  the  trustees  of  this  institution  the  moans 
of  increasing  its  usefulness,  and  of  enlarging  and  perfecting  the 
efforts  which  have  made  the  Massachusetts  institution  for  the 
blind  an  honor  to  the  commonwealth  and  a  blessing  to  mankind." 
13 


98  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

This  report  closed  with  the  following  resolve,  which, 
as  here  amended,  passed  both  branches  of  the  legisla- 
ture unanimously :  — 

^'- Besolved,  That  there  be  allowed  and  paid  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  Asylum  for  the 
Blind  the  sum  of  eighty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  same  is  hereby 
appropriated,  for  the  pui'pose  of  erecting  suitable  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  institution,  the  same  to  be  paid  from  time  to  time  in 
instalments,  as  may  be  certified  to  be  necessar}^  by  the  trustees : 
provided,  that  no  portion  of  the  said  sum  shall  be  paid  until  the 
said  trustees  shall  have  conveyed  to  the  commonwealth,  by  a  good 
and  sufficient  deed,  and  free  from  all  incumbrances,  the  laud  on 
w^hich  the  buildings  to  be  erected  shall  stand,  and  so  much  ad- 
jacent thereto  as  the  governor  and  council  shall  require ;  an4 
until  the  plans  for  said  buildings  shall  have  been  approved  b}'  the 
governor  and  council." 

This  resolve  was  passed  in  1869,  and  in  accordance 
with  its  terms  the  corporation  deeded  the  required  por- 
tion of  land  to  the  commonwealth.  But  the  sura 
granted  was  insufficient  to  accomplish  all  the  necessary 
changes,  and  in  order  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the 
appropriation  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  made  in  the 
preceding  year,  contributions  to  a  similar  amount  were 
raised  among  the  friends  of  the  blind.  The  plans  for 
buildings  were  prepared,  submitted  to  the  governor  and 
council,  and  approved  by  them,  and  the  work  was  soon 
commenced.  Four  dwelling-houses  were  erected  on 
Fourth  street,  and  a  schoolhouse,  with  recitation  and 
music-rooms,  was  built  at  a  convenient  distance.  The 
premises  occupied  by  the  new  buildings  were  divided 
from  those  on  which  the  old  structure  stood  by  a  fence. 
This  arrangement  afforded  easy  and  pleasant  means  for 
entire  separation  of  the  sexes.     The  cottages,  with  the 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  101 

as  the  few  tools  around  the  mason  —  his  trowel,  ham- 
mer, and  mortar  —  when  he  raises  the  substantial 
fabric  of  wall  or  house ;  but  those  which  he  employed 
seemed  as  if  they  were  forged  in  the  fire  of  his  enthu- 
siasm and  made  resistless.  He  was  tireless  in  his  en- 
deavors for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
blind,  and  his  achievements  in  then*  behalf  will  always 
stand  out  like  the  majestic  purple  of  the  clouds  against 
the  azure  sky  of  philanthropy.  When  the  experience 
of  years  and  the  growth  of  the  school  under  his  imme- 
diate care  demanded  improved  methods,  Dr.  Howe  was 
among  the  first  to  "read  the  signs  of  the  times,"  and  re- 
organized his  work  upon  a  better  system.  During  the 
later  years  of  his  life  he  labored  especially  to  remove 
the  school  from  the  class  of  charitable  institutions,  and 
to  put  it  on  the  same  footing  with  other  educational 
establishments.  His  work  was  taken  up  and  carried  on 
in  the  same  spirit,  and  the  final  act  necessary  to  remove 
from  it  entu-ely  the  idea  of  an  asylum  was  accomplished 
when,  at  a  meeting  of  the  corporation  held  Oct.  3,  1877, 
it  was  "  Voted,  that  the  institution  shall  hereafter  be 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Perkins  Institution 
AND  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind." 

The  means  for  the  support  of  the  establishment  are 
supplied  by  the  same  sources  as  when  first  established. 
The  state  of  Massachusetts  gradually  increased  its  an- 
nual appropriation  from  six  thousand  dollars  in  1833  to 
thirty  thousand  dollars  in  1869.  The  other  New  Eng- 
land states  continue  to  pay  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  then*  pupils ;  and  friends  of  the  blind  have  aided 
from  time  to  time  by  donations  and  bequests. 

The  character  of  the  institution  has  always  been  that 


102  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

of  a  school  for  blind  youth  of  both  sexes.  Its  main 
object  has  been  from  the  beginning  to  furnish  them  with 
the  means  and  facilities  for  a  thorough  practical  educa- 
tion, and  thus  to  enable  them  to  depend  upon  their  own 
exertions  for  their  support,  and  to  become  useful  and 
happy  members  of  society.  To  compass  this  end  a 
system  of  instruction  was  gradually  arranged  which, 
although  not  differing  in  its  principal  features  from 
those  employed  in  educational  establishments  for  seeing 
youth,  was,  in  some  of  its  details,  better  adapted  to 
the  requirements  of  the  class  of  children  for  whose 
special  benefit  it  was  intended.  This  system  was  sound 
in  principle,  practical  in  its  methods,  broad  in  its  pur- 
poses, and  liberal  in  its  policy.  It  aimed  at  the  full 
development  of  the  energies  and  capacities  of  the  blind, 
and  embraced  the  following  instrumentalities  :  — 

First,  instruction  in  such  branches  of  study  as  con- 
stitute the  curriculum  of  our  best  common  schools  and 
academies. 

SeconcUj/,  lessons  and  practice  in  music,  both  vocal  and 
instrumental. 

Thirdly,  systematic  instruction  in  the  theory  and 
practice  of  the  art  of  tuning  pianofortes. 

Fourthly,  training  in  one  or  more  simple  trades,  and 
work  at  some  mechanical  or  domestic  occupation. 

Fifthly,  regular  gymnastic  drill  under  the  care  of 
competent  teachers,  and  plenty  of  exercise  in  the  open 
air. 

The  main  object  of  this  comprehensive  system  was  to 
unfold  the  mental  faculties  and  strengthen  the  bodily 
powers  of  the  blind  in  definite  order ;  to  cultivate  in 
them  the  aesthetic  element  and  prepare  them  for  liberal 


1881.]  PUBLIC  Dt>CUMENT  — No.  27.  103 

professions ;  to  train  them  up  in  industrious  and  virtuous 
habits  ;  to  develop  to  the  utmost  extent  all  their  faculties 
and  aptitudes ;  and  lastly,  to  make  them  hardy  and  self- 
reliant,  so  that  they  might  go  out  into  the  world,  not  to  eat 
the  bread  of  charity,  but  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  honest 
work.     A  comparison  of  the  present  condition  of  the 
blind  of  New  England  with  that  of  fifty  years  ago  will 
show  that  this  system  has  proved  a  complete    success 
and  produced  abundant  fruit,  and  that  the  institution, 
conceived  in  the  benevolence  of  the  citizens  of  Boston, 
and  nurtured  by  the  tender  and  fostering  care  of  such 
distinguished  men  as  Jonathan  Phillips,  Peter  C.  Brooks, 
Thomas    H.  Perkins,  Samuel  Appleton,  Samuel   May, 
Edward  Brooks,  William  Oliver,  and  a  host  of  others, 
has  kindled  in  America  the  Promethean  fire  of  enlight- 
enment for  the  sightless,  and  wrought  a  wonderful  revo- 
lution in  the  realm  of  humanity. 

VI.  —  Instruction  and  Training  of  Laura  Bridgman. 

An  account  of  this  institution  would  be  incomplete  if 
it  failed  to  mention  the  remarkable  success  achieved  in 
the  education  of  Laura  Bridgman.  Cases  of  combined 
loss  (or  lack)  of  sight,  hearing  and  speech  are  so  ex- 
tremely rare,  that  able  writers  and  philosophers  had  dis- 
cussed the  possibility  of  teaching  beings  so  deprived  of 
the  senses  necessary  for  communion  with  their  fellows 
any  systematic  language  for  such  intercourse.  But  no 
such  person  seems  to  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
these  teachers  and  philosophers,  and  it  was  considered 
an  open  question  whether  such  education  were  possible, 
when  Dr.  Howe,  having  found  "  in  a  little  village  in  the 
mountains  a  pretty  and  lively  girl  about  six  years  old. 


104  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

who  was  totally  blind  and  deaf,  and  who  had  only  a 
very  indistmct  sense  of  smell,"  resolved  to  try  the  experi- 
ment of  establishing  a  means  of  communication  between 
the  human  soul  thus  buried  in  darkness  and  silence  and 
the  world  outside. 

Laura  Bridgman  was  born  at  Hanover,  N.H.,  Dec. 
21,  1829.  She  was  a  bright,  pretty  infant,  but  very 
delicate,  and  subject  to  fits  until  she  was  eighteen 
months  old,  when  her  health  began  to  improve,  and  at 
two  years  of  age  she  was  an  active,  intelligent  and 
healthy  child.  She  was  then  suddenly  prostrated  by  a 
fever,  which  raged  violently  for  seven  weeks,  and  de- 
prived her  entirely  of  the  senses  of  sight  and  hearing, 
and  blunted  those  of  taste  and  smell.  For  five  months 
she  lay  in  a  darkened  room ;  and  two  years  had  passed 
before  her  heahh  was  fully  restored.  Though  thus  de- 
prived of  most  of  the  usual  means  of  communication 
with  others,  she  was  interested  in  things  about  her,  and 
showed  a  desire  to  learn.  She  soon  began  to  make  a 
language  of  her  own ;  and  had  a  sign  to  indicate  her 
recognition  of  each  member  of  the  family.  Her  power 
of  imitation  led  her  to  repeat  what  others  did,  and  by 
means  of  this  faculty  she  had  learned  to  sew  a  little, 
and  to  knit.  When  Dr.  Howe  first  saw  her,  he  de- 
scribed her  as  having  "  a  well-formed  figure  ;  a  strongly- 
marked,  nervous-sanguine  temperament;  a  large  and 
beautifully-shaped  head;  and  the  whole  system  in  healthy 
action."  Her  parents  were  willing  to  allow  the  trial  of 
Dr.  Howe's  plan  of  teaching  their  unfortunate  child,  and 
on  the  4th  of  October,  1837,  she  was  brought  to  the 
institution. 

The  fii-st  lessons  were  given  by  taking  small  articles 


1881.]  PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  105 

of  common  use,  such  as  a  keij^  a  pen,  etc.,  having  labels 
pasted  upon  them  with  their  names  in  raised  letters, 
and  allowing  her  to  feel  of  these  very  carefully,  over 
and  over  again,  until  she  came  to  associate  the  word 
thus  printed  with  the  article  itself;  and  when  shown 
the  name  apart  from  the  object,  would  at  once  bring  the 
object  which  the  name  called  for.  In  order  to  teach 
her  the  value  of  the  individual  letters  of  which  these 
names  were  composed,  short  monosyllabic  words  were 
first  selected,  such  as  pin  and  pen  ;  and  by  repeatedly 
examining  these,  she  came  to  perceive  that  they  con- 
sisted of  three  separate  signs  or  characters,  and  that 
the  middle  sign  of  one  differed  from  the  middle  sign  of 
the  other.  The  task  of  teaching  these  early  lessons  was 
a  very  slow  one ;  but  Laura  began  by  being  a  willing 
and  patient  imitator,  even  before  she  had  any  concep- 
tion of  the  meaning  or  object  of  these  lessons ;  and 
when,  by  degrees,  some  idea  of  their  signification 
dawned  upon  her,  her  delight  was  so  unmistakably 
manifested,  and  her  zeal  and  interest  became  so  great, 
that  the  slow  process  became  a  pleasant  work.  After 
learning  to  associate  the  printed  names  upon  the  labels 
with  the  articles,  the  letters  were  given  her  on  detached 
pieces  of  paper,  and  she  was  taught  to  arrange  them  so 
as  to  spell  the  words  which  she  had  already  learned 
upon  the  labels.  She  was  next  supplied  with  a  set  of 
metal  types  with  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  cast  upon 
theu'  ends,  and  a  board  containing  square  holes,  into 
which  the  types  could  be  set,  so  that  only  the  letters 
upon  the  ends  could  be  felt  above  the  surface  ;  and  with 
these  she  soon  learned  to  spell  the  words  which  she 
knew,  as  she  had  with  the  paper  slips.     After  several 

14 


106  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

weeks  of  this  practice  she  was  taught  to  make  the  dif- 
ferent letters  by  the  position  of  her  fingers,  and  thus 
dispense  with  the  more   cumbrous    aid   of  board   and 
types.     About  three  months  were  spent  in  thus  teach- 
ing her  the  names  of  some  common  objects,  and  the 
means  of  expressing  them  by  setting  up  type,  or  by  the 
manual  alphabet.     She  was  so  eager  to  learn  the  name 
of  every  object  with  which  she  came  in  contact   that 
much  time  was  spent  in  teaching  her  these.     Next  came 
words    expressing  positive   qualities  ;    then  the  use    of 
prepositions ;  and  she  easily  acquired  the  use  of  some 
active  verbs,  such   as  to  ivalk^  to   run,  to  sew,  etc.,  al- 
though the  distinctions  of  mood  and  tense  came  later. 
The  process  of  teaching  was  necessarily  so  slow,  that, 
notwithstanding  the  unusual  quickness  of  apprehension 
and  eagerness  to  learn,  she  had  attained  only  about  the 
same  command  of  language  as  that  possessed  by  ordi- 
nary children  at  three  years  of  age  when  she  had  been 
under  instruction  twenty-six  months,  and  was  ten  years 
old.     But  as  she  now  possessed  the  means  for  the  ac- 
quirement of  all  knowledge,  and  she  became  capable  of 
expressing  her  own  thoughts,  feelings   and  impressions, 
the  process  of  teaching  her  and  watching  the  develop- 
ment of  her  moral  and  intellectual  nature  became  more 
and  more  interesting.     Her  sense  of  touch  became  more 
acute,  and  there  was  some  improvement  in  the  senses 
of  taste  and  smell.     Laura  seems  to  have  possessed  an 
innate  love   of  neatness    and   modesty  which,  even   in 
early  childhood,  prevented  her  from  ever  transgressing 
the  rules  of  propriety.     She  had  a  bright  and  sunny 
disposition,  which  delighted  in  fun  and  merriment ;  an 
affectionate  and  sympathetic  nature,  and  a  ready  confi- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  109 

instruction  to  the  pupils.  On  the  19th  of  May  of  the 
same  year,  three  other  children  were  added  to  their 
number,  and  with  the  six  a  school  was  opened  at  No. 
47  Mercer  street.  The  experiment  proved  a  success, 
as  was  anticipated;  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  1833 
the  institution  was  removed  to  its  present  location  on 
Ninth  avenue.  During  his  connection  with  the  school, 
Dr.  Russ  devised,  among  other  educational  facilities,  a 
phonetic  alphabet  which  showed  some  ingenuity,  but 
did  not  come  into  use.  He  resigned  his  place  in  1836, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Silas  Jones  in  August  of  that 
year ;  but  he  continued  to  manifest,  from  time  to  time, 
great  interest  in  the  improvement  of  educational  appli- 
ances for  the  blind.  He  was  the  first  projector  and 
advocate  of  the  horizontal  system  of  point  writing,  and 
the  alphabet  in  that  system  which  he  arranged  in  the 
year  1862  and  1863  is  identical  in  its  main  principles 
with  that  which  is  used  in  many  American  institutions 
to-day,  and  differs  from  it  only  in  some  of  the  minor 
details.  A  little  sheet  which  was  periodically  published 
by  Dr.  Russ,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Experiment,"  for  the 
purpose  of  explaining  and  illustrating  his  contrivances, 
bears  ample  testimony  to  this  statement.  Among  other 
things,  the  doctor  devised  a  method  of  printing  between 
the  lines  on  both  sides  of  the  paper,  which  was  readily 
adopted  at  the  Paris  school  for  the  blind  in  1867,  and 
from  that  institution  was  carried  to  England  by  Dr.  T. 
R.  Armitage,  who,  although  always  eager  to  profit  by 
inventions  in  this  direction,  does  not  seem  inclined  to 
disclose  any  of  his  own.  Fortunately,  however,  there 
is  no  danger  of  great  loss  to  the  blind  in  general  from 
secrecy  of  this  kind,  for  the   real  value   of  the   con- 


no  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

trivances  made  in  such  a  spirit  seldom  exceeds  the  cost 
of  the  ink  and  paper  required  for  their  description. 

With  regard  to  the  early  administrations  of  the  New 
York  institution,  it  may  be  said  that  no  one  was  thor- 
oughly successful,  and  the  progress  of  the  school  was 
retarded  by  the  want  of  an  efficient  head  to  direct  its 
affairs.  In  1845,  Mr.  James  F.  Chamberlain  was 
elected  superintendent,  and  under  his  management  an 
era  of  prosperity  and  advancement  dawned  for  the 
establishment. 

The  third  American  institution  was  founded  in  Phila- 
delphia, by  the  society  of  friends,  on  the  5th  of  March, 
1833.  A  house  was  soon  provided,  and  the  services  of 
Mr.  Julius  R.  Friedlander,  as  principal,  were  secured  by 
the  managers.  Mr.  FMedlander  was  of  German  origin, 
and  began  to  occupy  himself  with  the  blind  in  the  year 
1828,  when  he  resided  for  a  little  while  at  the  school 
in  Paris.  He  continued  this  study  in  London,  and 
finally  entered  the  institution  for  the  blind  at  Bruchsal, 
in  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden,  as  sub-master.  The 
description  which  the  duke  of  Saxe  Weimer  had  given 
of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  hospitality  of  its 
inhabitants,  produced  in  the  mind  of  Friedlander  an 
earnest  desire  to  expatriate  himself  in  order  to  establish 
in  that  city  an  institution  for  the  education  of  sightless 
children.  He  organized  the  school  with  great  care  and 
deliberation ;  gave  exhibitions  of  the  attainments  of  his 
pupils  before  the  legislatures  of  Pennsylvania,  Delaware 
and  New  Jersey,  and  obtained  appropriations  for  the 
support  of  beneficiaries  from  each  of  these  states,  and 
later  from  that  of  Maryland.  The  institution  occupied 
its    present  location  on  Race  street  in    October,   1836. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  Ill 

Mr.  Friedlander  was  obliged  to  spend  the  winter  of  that 
year  in  the  West  Indies,  for  the  restoration  of  his  im- 
paired health ;  and  his  place  was  temporarily  supplied 
by  Mr.  Sprout,  assistant  instructor,  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Pen- 
niman,  a  graduate  from  the  New  England  school.  Mr. 
Friedlander  returned  from  the  South  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1839,  and  died  at  the  institution  on  the  17th  of 
the  same  month,  lamented  by  managers,  teachers  and 
pupils,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Joshua  Roades,  who 
subsequently  became  superintendent  of  the  Illinois  insti- 
tution for  the  blind,  where  he  remained  until  near  the 
end  of  his  life. 

Ohio  comes  next  in  order  in  the  good  work  of  the 
education  of  the  blind.  The  idea  of  establishing  a 
school  in  Columbus  for  that  purpose  was  first  con- 
ceived by  Dr.  William  M.  Awl,  as  early  as  1835. 
Through  his  efforts,  on  the  11th  of  March,  1836,  the 
legislature  passed  a  resolution,  by  which  he,  with  two 
others,  Dr.  James  Hodge  and  Col.  N.  H.  Swayne,  were 
appointed  trustees  to  collect  information  in  relation  to 
the  instruction  of  the  blind,  and  submit  a  report  to  the 
next  general  assembly.  Circulars  were  at  once  sent  to 
the  justices  of  the  peace  in  all  the  townships  in  the 
state ;  and  in  order  to  create  a  public  interest  in  the 
subject,  Dr.  S.  G.  Plowe  was  invited  to  lend  his  assist- 
ance. He  promptly  off"ered  his  services,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  December,  1836,  he  appeared  before  the 
legislature  and  a  large  number  of  influential  persons 
who  were  gathered  at  the  state-house,  and  made  a 
stirring  address  which,  supplemented  by  an  exhibition 
of  the  attainments  of  three  of  his  pupils  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him,  made  so  deep  an   impression  upon 


112  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

the  cominunity  in  general,  and  upon  the  minds  of  the 
representatives  of  the  people  in  particular,  that  in 
April,  183  T,  an  act  incorporating  the  institution  was 
triumphantly  passed,  and  an  appropriation  for  com- 
mencing the  building  made.  The  school  was  organized 
by  Mr.  A.  W.  Penniman,  who  was  recommended  to 
the  trustees  by  Dr.  Howe,  and  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1837,  was  publicly  opened  in  the  Fu-st  Presbyterian 
church  in  Columbus.  Maps,  globes,  books  and  all 
other  educational  appliances  and  apparatus  for  the 
young  institution  were  prepared  in  this  establishment, 
and  there  exists  in  our  records  a  copy  of  a  long  and 
exceedingly  interesting  letter,  addressed  by  Dr.  Howe 
to  Dr.  Awl,  in  which  a  complete  plan  of  buildings 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  blind  is  sketched.  I  need 
hardly  add  in  this  connection  that  long  experience, 
keen  observation,  and  mature  reflection  had  so  essen- 
tially modified  Dr.  Howe's  early  views  on  this  point, 
that  he  became  the  irreconcilable  foe  to  expensive 
piles  of  bricks  and  mortar  and  vast  congregations  of 
human  beings  under  one  roof,  and  the  enthusiastic  and 
irresistible  advocate  of  the  family  or  cottage  system. 

The  fifth  American  institution  was  founded  in  the 
state  of  Virginia ;  and  the  following  letter  of  Dr. 
Howe,  dated  Boston,  March  14,  1837,  and  addressed 
to  Rev.  W.  S.  Plummer,  of  Richmond,  clearly  shows 
its  origin :  — 


'O' 


"Dear  Sir, — With  this  letter  j'ou  will  receive  a  copy  of  our 
annual  report  for  the  past  year.  Has  an3'thing  been  done  3'et 
towards  establishing  an  institution  for  the  education  of  the  blind 
in  your  section  of  the  countr}-?  If  not,  the  work  should  be  com- 
menced, and  that  soon  ;  for  since  Providence  has  pointed  out  the 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  113 

way  by  which  so  much  knowledge  and  happiness  and  benefit,  both 
to  soul  and  body,  may  be  conferred  upon  this  hitherto  neglected 
class,  it  seems  to  me  imperative  upon  us  to  be  acting  in  it. 

"I  would  gladly  have  visited  Virginia  with  my  pupils  on  my 
return  from  Ohio ;  but  strong  necessity  bade  me  return  here  at 
once. 

'•  I  feel  confident  that  if  the  subject  could  be  brought  before  the 
public  and  3'our  legislature,  the  foundation  of  a  noble  establish- 
ment which  would  confer  benefit  through  future  ages  might  be  laid 
broad  and  deep.  I  believe,  too,  that  a  more  vivid  impression 
could  be  made  now,  while  the  subject  is  comparatively  new,  than 
hereafter. 

"  Can  I  in  an}'  way  be  useful  in  such  an  undertaking?  I  shall 
have  a  vacation  and  short  release  from  my  duties  here  in  May.  I 
would  gladl}^  devote  the  time  to  any  effort  for  the  benefit  of.  the 
blind  in  any  other  section  of  the  country,  provided  there  was  a 
reasonable  hope  of  success,  and  prospect  of  cooperation  from 
others.     Will  you  give  me  your  views  on  the  subject? 

"  With  much  respect,  truly  yours, 

"S.  G.  Howe." 

The  words  of  this  letter  found  a  peculiarly  congenial 
soil  for  fruition  in  the  tender  heart  of  Mr.  Plummer, 
and  a  correspondence  ensued  between  the  two  philan- 
thropists which  resulted  in  an  arrangement  for  a  visit 
of  Dr.  Howe,  with  three  of  his  pupils,  to  Vu-ginia. 
Meanwhile  the  proposition  of  Mr.  F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  of 
New  York,  to  unite  the  deaf-mutes  with  the  blind,  was 
accepted,  and  a  combined  exhibition  was  given  before 
the  legislature  in  Richmond,  in  January,  1838,  which 
produced  the  desired  effect.  On  the  31st  of  March  of 
the  same  year  the  bill  to  incorporate  a  dual  institution 
for  the  deaf-mutes  and  the  blind  was  passed,  and  the 
sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  appropriated  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  a  suitable  site  and  erecting 

15 


114  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

thereon  the  necessary  buildings,  together  with  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  support  of  the  establishment.  A 
board  of  visitors  was  appointed  during  Governor  Camp- 
bell's administration,  and,  after  some  delay  for  prelimi- 
nary arrangements,  the  two  schools  of  the  institution  at 
Staunton  got  into  full  operation,  with  the  Kev.  Joseph 
D.  Tyler  as  principal  of  the  department  for  deaf-mutes 
and  Dr.  J.  C.  M.  Merrillat  of  that  for  the  blind.  Vir- 
ginia's example  of  bringing  the  two  classes  together 
under  one  organization  and  government  was  unfor- 
tunately followed  by  eight  other  states,  three  of  which 
—  those  of  Louisiana,  Minnesota  and  Michigan  — 
have  dissolved  the  unnatural  and  vexatious  union,  and 
formed  separate  institutions  for  each  class. 

Next  to  Virginia,  Kentucky  fell  into  the  line  of  the 
good  cause.  The  first  attempt  to  induce  the  legislature 
of  that  state  to  establish  a  school  for  the  blind  was 
prompted  by  a  former  pupil  of  Dr.  Howe,  Mr.  Otis  Patten, 
in  18-40  ;  but,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  from  the  correspon- 
dence which  I  have  before  me,  it  was  not  crowned  with 
success.  Mr.  Patten  wrote  to  his  teacher  and  friend  of 
the  failure  ;  and  from  Dr.  Howe's  reply,  dated  July  7th, 
1841,  I  make  the  followmg  extract :  —  "  Do  not  attempt 
anything  unless  you  are  sure  that  every  possible  pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  every  possible  contingency.  I 
have  it  very  much  to  heart  to  see  institutions  for  the 
instruction  of  the  blind  built  up  in  every  part  of  the 
country,  and  I  would  willingly  make  any  personal  sacri- 
fice or  eflfort  to  efi"ect  it.  If  it  is  thought  I  can  be  of  any 
use,  I  will  come  to  Louisville  and  take  the  matter  in 
hand.  I  will  devote  myself  entirely  to  it,  and  ask  no 
compensation  for  my  time  or  expenses."     On  the  loth 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  115 

of  November  of  the  same  year,  Dr.  Howe  addressed  a 
letter  to  Dr.  J.  B.  Flint,  of  Louisville,  on  the  subject,  in 
which,  after  referring  to  Mr.  Patten's  earnest  efforts,  he 
speaks  as  follows:  — "  I  am  very  desirous  of  making  the 
attempt  this  winter  myself,  with  the  aid  of  two  of  my 
pupils,  to  persuade  your  legislature  to  some  immediate 
action  on  the  subject,  and  if  I  can  obtain  a  hearing  I  am 
sure  I  shall  succeed."     Arrangements  were  at  once  made, 
and  Dr.  Howe,  with  his  two  favorite  pupils,  Abby  and' 
Sophia  Carter,  proceeded  to  Kentucky,  where  —  joined 
by  Mr.  William  Chapin,  then  superintendent  of  the  Ohio 
institution,  with   some  of  his  best  pupils  —  they  gave 
together  an  exhibition  before  the  legislature.     On  the 
5th  of  February,  1842,  an  institution  was  incorporated 
by  an  act  of  the  general  assembly,  and  visitors  or  mana- 
gers were  soon  appointed.     A  suitable  house  was  rented 
in  Louisville,  which  was  furnished  by  the  libe.rality  of  the 
inhabitants  of  that  city,  who  also  generously  contributed 
funds  sufficient  to  sustain  the  institution  during  the  first 
six  months  of  its  infancy  ;  and  the  school  was  opened 
on  the  9th  of  May,  with  Mr.  Bryce  Patten  as  director, 
Mr.  Otis  Patten  as  teacher,  and  five  pupils,  whose  num- 
ber increased  to  ten  before  the  end  of  the  year. 

On  his  way  to  Kentucky,  Dr.  Howe  stopped  at  Col- 
umbia, South  Carolina,  and  made  a  strong  plea  in  behalf 
of  the  blind  before  the  legislature  of  that  state.  From 
a  long  correspondence  relating  to  the  preliminary  ar- 
rangements of  this  visit  I  make  a  few  extracts,  which 
are  characteristic  of  the  great  champion  of  humanity. 
In  a  letter  dated  July  4th,  1841,  and  addressed  to  Dr. 
H.  S.  Dickenson,  of  Charleston,  Dr.  Howe  speaks  as 
follows :  —  "I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  no  pre- 


116  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLIND.  [Oct. 

paration  will  be  necessary ;  because  I  have  not  the 
slightest  doubt  about  being  able  to  carry  the  feelings  of 
your  legislators  entirely  away  with  the  subject.  I  do 
not  mean  that  I  have  any  peculiar  power  of  enlisting 
the  feelings,  so  far  from  it,  the  very  absence  of  eloquence 
gives  additional  effect  to  the  irresistible  appeal  which 
the  blind  children  themselves  make."  To  governor  T. 
P.  Richardson,  Dr.  Howe  wrote  as  follows  on  the  sub- 
ject :  —  "I  deshe  most  ardently,  before  taking  my  hand 
from  the  plough,  to  see  schools  for  the  blind  estab- 
lished in  every  part  of  the  country,  or  at  least  provision 
made  for  theii'  support.  With  this  view  I  intend  to  ad- 
dress the  legislature  of  South  Carolina  this  winter,  and 
so  endeavor  to  induce  them  to  do  for  the  blind  of  the 
state  what  they  do  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  viz.,  make 
an  appropriation  for  their  education."  To  his  friend, 
Dr.  Francis  Lieber,  who  was  then  professor  of  history 
and  politicail  economy  in  the  South  Carolina  college,  at 
Columbia,  Dr.  Howe  wrote  as  follows  on  the  30tli  of 
November,  1841:  —  "It  has  occurred  to  me  that  you 
might  be  of  essential  service  to  the  cause  of  the  blind,  if 
you  would  exert  your  influence  to  create  an  interest  in 
this  subject.  From  Columbia  I  shall  go  to  Kentucky, 
where  I  think  an  institution  will  be  founded  immediately. 
I  am  very  desirous  of  seeing  ample  provision  made  in 
every  part  of  my  country  for  the  education  of  the  blind, 
and  I  doubt  not  I  shall  be  gratified." 

Yes,  Dr.  Howe's  most  ardent  wishes  in  this  direction 
were  fulfilled  ;  for,  in  addition  to  the  above-named  states, 
twenty-four  others  established  institutions  in  the  follow- 
ing chronological  order :  —  Tennessee,  1844  ;  Indiana, 
1847;  Illinois,   1849;  North  Carolina,   1849;   Wiscon- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  117 

sill,  1850;  Missouri,  1851;  Georgia,  1852;  Maryland, 
1853;  Michigan,  1854;  South  Carolina,  1855;  Texas, 
1856 ;  Alabama,  1858 ;  Arkansas,  1859 ;  California, 
1860;  Minnesota,  1862;  Kansas,  1867;  New  York 
State,  1867;  West  Virginia,  1870 ;  Oregon,  1872;  Col- 
orado, 1874  ;  Nebraska,  1875.  Thus  twenty-nine  States 
support  their  own  institutions  for  the  education  of  the 
blind,  while  the  rest  make  provision  for  the  instruction 
of  their  sightless  children  in  the  nearest  schools. 

European  and  American  Institutions  Compared. 

In  order  to  measure  and  compare  the  value  and  im- 
portance of  the  schools  of  Europe  and  of  this  country 
correctly  and  fairly,  it  is  necessary  to  look  at  the  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  them  and  the  purpose  with  which 
they  are  administered. 

In  most  of  the  European  institutions  the  prevailing 
idea  is,  that  what  is  done  for  the  blind  is  in  the  spirit  of 
favor  and  charity,  rather  than  of  right  and  obligation. 
The  liberal  and  elevating  influences  of  a  free  and 
thorough  education,  which  alone  can .  assist  this  afflicted 
class  to  rise  above  the  clouds  of  ignorance  and  common 
prejudice,  and  breath  the  free  air  of  independence,  are 
wanting,  and  a  depressing  atmosphere  of  social  inferiority 
and  dependence  surrounds  them.  A  large  number  of  the 
so-called  schools,  especially  those  in  Great  Britain,  are 
mere  asylums,  chiefly  supported  by  annual  contributions, 
which  are  made  and  received  in  the  nature  of  alms. 
This  helps  to  strengthen  and  perpetuate  what  it  is  most 
desirable  to  destroy,  namely,  the  old,  unhappy  and  dis- 
advantageous association  in  the  public  mind  of  blindness 
with  beggary.     But  even  in  those  establishments  which 


118  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

are  endowed  and  supported  by  the  governments,  the 
pupils  are  brought  up  under  such  influences  as  favor  the 
segregation  of  the  blind  into  a  class  by  themselves,  and 
are  neither  inspired  with  those  higher  views  of  man's 
dignity  and  self-respect,  nor  fired  up  with  that  uncon- 
querable desire  for  usefulness  and  self-maintenance 
which  are  so  indispensable  for  their  success  in  life. 
Hence  the  greatest  number  of  their  graduates  relapse 
into  their  original  state  of  inanition,  and  the  glimmering 
of  happiness  which  they  have  caught  while  under  in- 
struction is  followed  by  a  doubly  dark  and  wretched 
future.  The  fact  that  even  so  eminent  a  man  as  Penjon, 
who  held  a  professorship  of  mathematics  at  the  college 
of  Angers  for  thirty  years  with  success  and  distinction, 
spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  either  willingly  or  from 
force  of  circumstances,  amidst  the  misery  of  the  hospice 
cles  Qidnze-Vingts,  illustrates  strikingly  the  unfavorable 
effects  of  early  education  and  training  at  so  famous  a 
school  as  that  of  Paris. 

The  most  valuable  distinctive  feature  of  the  Ameri- 
can institutions  is  that  they  constitute  an  integral  part 
of  the  educational  system  of  the  country.  Their  exist- 
ence is  planted  in  the  letter  and  nourished  by  the  liberal 
spirit  of  its  fundamental  laws.  They  are  the  creations 
of  justice  and  equity,  and  not  the  offspring  of  charity 
and  favor.  Thus  the  right  of  the  blind  to  participate 
in  all  the  educational  benefits  provided  for  every  child 
in  the  commonwealth  is  acknowledged  by  the  state  in 
its  sovereign  capacity ;  and  since  they  cannot  be  taught 
in  the  common  schools,  an  express  provision  is  made 
for  their  instruction.  This  policy  has  acted  very  favora- 
bly upon  the  blind.     It  has  strengthened  their  good  im- 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  119 

pulses,  and  fostered  in  them  an  upward  tendency  and 
noble  determination  to  become  useful  and  independent. 
It  has  inspired  them  with  self-respect,  and  made  them 
aim  at  a  higher  place  in  the  social  scale  than  they  would 
otherwise  have  sought.  The  fruits  of  this  policy  began 
to  appear  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  American 
institutions.  As  early  as  1837,  Madame  Eugenie  Nibo- 
yet  made  the  following  remarks  on  the  schools  of  this 
country  in  her  valuable  work  entitled  Des  aveugles  et  de 
lew  education:  —  "The  American  institutions,  recently 
founded,  are  in  many  respects  much  superior  to  that  of 
Paris."  Again  she  says  elsewhere  :  —  "  The  Americans 
have  left  us  behind.  The  pupil  has  become  stronger 
(plus  fort)  than  the  master." 

Another  distinctive  feature  in  the  American  schools 
is  the  spirit  of  individual  independence  and  self-reliance 
which  Dr.  Howe  breathed  into  the  system  of  education 
and  training  which  he  arranged  for  the  sightless  chil- 
di'en  of  New  England,  and  which  was  afterwards  more 
or  less  copied  everywhere.  He  taught  the  blind  that 
the  maxim,  "  Heaven  helps  those  who  help  themselves," 
is  a  well-tried  one,  embodying  in  a  small  compass  the 
results  of  vast  human  experience.  He  inculcated 
among  them  the  healthy  doctrine  of  self-help  as  the 
most  potent  lever  to  raise  them  in  the  social  scale  ;  and 
as  soon  as  it  was  understood  and  carried  into  action, 
ignorance  and  dependence  upon  alms  and  charity  were 
reduced  to  their  minimum  :  for  the  two  principles  are 
directly  antagonistic  ;  and  what  Victor  Hugo  says  of  the 
pen  and  the  sword  applies  alike  to  them  :  "  This  kills 
that."  I  can  give  no  better  estimate  of  the  powers  of 
the    great  philanthropist  in  this  respect  than  the  one 


120  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

made  by  Mr.  George  Combe  in  his  "Tour  in  the  United 
States,"  vol.  I.  p.  228,  which  runs  as  follows  :  —  "It  ap- 
pears to  us  that  Dr.  Howe  has  a  bold,  active,  enterpris- 
ing mind,  and  to  a  certain  extent  he  impresses  his  own 
character  on  the  minds  of  his  pupils.  He  enlarges  the 
practical  boundaries  of  their  capacities  by  encouraging 
them  to  believe  in  the  greatness  of  their  natural  ex- 
tent." 

In  bringing  this  sketch  to  a  close,  I  must  add  that 
the  blind  have  availed  themselves  of  the  advantages 
offered  by  the  schools,  and  have  proved  that  in  the 
stream  of  life  they  are  not  mere  straws  thrown  upon  the 
water  to  mark  the  direction  of  the  current,  but  that 
they  have  within  themselves  the  power  of  strong  swim- 
mers, and  are  capable  of  striking  out  for  themselves ;  of 
buffeting  with  the  waves,  and  directing  their  own  inde- 
pendent course  to  some  extent.  Thus  they  have  fur- 
nished a  remarkable  illustration  of  what  may  be  effected 
by  the  energetic  development  and  exercise  of  faculties, 
the  germs  of  which  at  least  are  in  every  human  heart. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

M.  Anagnos. 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  2T.  121 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


Among  the  pleasant  duties  incident  to  the  close  of  the  j'ear  is 
that  of  expressing  our  heartfelt  thanks  and  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs^  societies,  proprietors, 
managers,  editors  and  publishers,  for  concerts  and  various  musi- 
cal entertainments ;  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures,  readings,  and 
for  an  excellent  supply  of  periodicals  and  weekly  papers,  minerals 
and  specimens  of  various  kinds. 

As  I  have  said  in  previous  reports,  these  favors  are  not  onl^-  a 
source  of  pleasure  and  happiness  to  our  pupils,  but  also  a  valuable 
means  of  aesthetic  culture,  of  social  intei-course,  and  of  mental 
stimulus  and  improvement.  As  far  as  we  know,  there  is  no  com- 
munity in  the  world  which  does  half  so  much  for  the  gratification 
and  improvement  of  its  unfortunate  members  as  that  of  Boston 
does  for  our  pupils. 

I. — Acknowledgments  for  Concerts  and  Operas  in  the  City. 

To  the  Harvard  Musical  Association,  through  its  president,  Mr. 
John  S.  Dwight,  for  fifty  season-tickets  to  eight  symphony  con- 
certs. The  blind  of  New  England  are  under  great  and  lasting 
obligations  to  this  association  for  the  uncommon  musical  advan- 
tages which  it  has  always  extended  to  them  in  the  most  liberal 
and  friendly  manner  since  the  inauguration  of  its  concerts. 

To  Messrs.  Tompkins  &  Hill,  proprietors  of  the  Boston  Theatre, 
for  admitting  parties  in  unlimited  numbers  to  ten  operas. 

To  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  through  its  president,  Mr. 

C.  C.  Perkins,  and  its  secretary,  Mr.  A.  Parker  Browne,  for  tickets 

to  the  oratorio  of  "  St.  Paul,"  Mozart's  "  Requiem,"  Beethoven's 

"Mount  of  Olives,"  and  the  public  rehearsal  of  Bach's  Passion 

music. 

16 


122  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 

To  the  Boston  Philharmonic  Society,  for  admission  to  five  public 
rehearsals. 

To  Mr.  C.  C.  Perkins,  for  tickets  to  the  Dwight  testimonial 
concert,  to  the  Wulf  Fries  testimonial  concert,  and  to  five  of 
the   Euterpe  concerts. 

To  Dr.  Louis  Maas,  for  admission  to  his  orchestral  concert, 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  printing-fund  of  this  institution. 

To  Mr.  Benjamin  Bates,  for  admission  to  one  opera  at  the 
Gaietj'  Theatre  ;  and  to  Miss  Jessy  Cochrane,  to  one  operetta  at 
the  Boston  Museum. 

To  the  managers  of  the  Tremont  Temple,  through  the  kindness 
of  deacon  Charles  A.  Roundy,  for  an  invitation  to  attend  the 
performance  of  the  oratorio  "Elijah"  by  the  Handel  and  Haj'dn 
Society,  two  Morgan  organ  and  harp  matinees,  and  four  Swan 
organ  recitals. 

To  Mr.  Joseph  Winch,  for  admission  to  the  oratorio  of  "  Sam- 
uel" in  Phillips  church. 

To  the  Apollo  and  Cecilia  clubs,  through  the  kindness  of  their 
secretary,  Mr.  Arthur  Reed,  for  tickets  to  six  concerts  each. 

To  Boylston  club,  through  Mr.  G.  L.  Osgood,  director,  and 
Mr.  F.  H.  Ratcliffe,  secretary,  for  tickets  to  three  concerts. 

To  the  following  distinguished  artists  we  are  under  great  obliga- 
tions for  admitting  our  pupils  to  their  concerts :  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang, 
to  two  concerts  and  three  rehearsals  of  the  "  Damnation  of  Faust," 
by  Berlioz  ;  to  Mr.  W.  H.  Sherwood,  to  four  concerts ;  to  Mr. 
Ernst  Perabo,  to  two  ;  to  Mr.  Arthur  Foote,  to  eight ;  to  M.  Otto 
Bendix,  to  two ;  to  Madame  Dietrich  Strong,  to  one  ;  to  Mr. 
J.  A.  Conant,  to  one ;  to  Mr.  Oeorg  Henschel,  to  one  recital ; 
and  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Brackett,  to  one  of  the  Satter  concerts. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  the  managers  of  Dudley  Hall  for 
admission  to  four  historical  concerts ;  to  Dr.  E.  Tourj^e,  director 
of  the  New  England  conservatory,  to  four  concerts,  three  organ 
recitals,  and  to  all  the  performances  of  the  festival  week  ;  to  Mr. 
Henry  M.  Dunham,  to  four  organ  recitals,  and  to  Mr.  John  A. 
Preston  to  three  ;  to  Rev.  J.  J.  Lewis,  and  Mr.  A.  G.  Ham,  to 
several  concerts  in  the  Universalist  church.  South  Boston  ;  to  the 
Broadway  Methodist  Society,  through  Dr.  L.  D.  Packard,  to  a 


1881.J  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  123 

course  of  lectures  and  concerts;  and  to  Mr.  B.  W.  Williams,  to 
three  jubilee  concerts. 

II.  —  Aclcnoivledgments  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  fine  concerts  given  from  time  to  time  in  the 
music-hall  of  the  institution  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  the  follow- 
ing artists  :  — 

To  Mr.  Ernst  Perabo,  assisted  by  one  of  his  pupils,  Miss  Amy 
Marc}'  Chene}'. 

To  Madame  Marie  Fries  Bishop,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Georgie  Pray, 
Miss  Louisa  Fries,  Mr.  John  Little,  and  Mrs.  Alice  Lee  ISIcLaugh- 
lin,  reader. 

To  Mr.  Wulf  Fries  and  daughter. 

To  Madame  Rametti,  assisted  b}'  Miss  Jessj'  Rametti,  Mrs.  G. 
Gibbs,  Mrs.  Freeman  Cobb,  Miss  Ella  Chamberlain,  Mr.  John  F. 
"Winch,  and  Mr.  Henry  Pra3\ 

To  Madame  Dietrich  Strong,  Mr.  Gustav  Dannreuther,  and 
Mrs.  H.  M.  Knowles. 

To  Mrs.  Dr.  Fenderson,  Mrs.  Freeman  Cobb,  and  Mr.  George 
Parker. 

To  M.  Alfred  de  S^ve,  M.  Otto  Bendix,  Miss  Annie  Lawrence, 
Miss  Sarah  Winslow,  Miss  Daisy  Terry,  Mrs.  H.  T.  Spooner,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Miller,  and  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Burns. 

To  Dr.  Louis  Maas,  for  a  pianoforte  recital. 

To  St.  Augustine's  sanctuary  choir,  directed  by  Mr.  Albert 
Meyers,  and  assisted  by  Miss  Nellie  McLaughlin,  Miss  Nellie 
Moore,  Miss  Cecilia  Mooney,  Mr.  J.  G.  Lennon,  and  Mr.  J.  P. 
Leah}',  elocutionist. 

To  Mr.  Eugene  Tha^-er,  for  a  series  of  organ  concerts,  assisted 
by  Miss  Osgood  (violinist),  Mrs.  Geraldine  Morris  (vocalist), 
Miss  Black,  and  Mr.  Harris. 

///.  —  Acknowledgments  for  Lectures  and  Headings. 

For  a  series  of  lectures  and  readings  our  thanks  are  due  to  the 
following  kind  friends:  Rev.  E.  E.  PLalc,  D.D.,  Dr.  L.  B.  Fen- 
derson, Mrs.  Annie  D.  C.  Hardy,  Mrs.  Alice  McLaughlin,   Miss 


124 


INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Jenny  Morrison,  Miss   Selma  Borg,  Miss   E.  V,  Adams,  Miss 
Emma  Clifford,  and  Miss  Stratton. 


IV. — Acknowledgments  for  Tangible  Objects,  Specimens,  etc. 

For  a  collection  of  specimens,  curiosities  and  tangible  objects 
of  various  kinds,  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  the  following  persons  : 
Mr.  Clement  Rj'der,  Mr.  David  Denio,  Mr.  James  R.  Cocke,  Mr. 
Charles  H.  Dillaway,  Miss  M.  C.  Moulton,  Mr.  William  C.  Howes, 
Miss  Sophia  Ann  Wolfe,  Mr.  William  P.  Garrison,  and  Mr.  John 
N.  Marble. 

We  are  also  under  great  obligations  to  Mrs.  S.  N.  Russell  of 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  Mrs.  Henry  Farnam  of  New  Haven,  Conn., 
for  generous  and  useful  gifts  to  our  girls ;  to  Automatic  Organ 
Compan}',  for  one  of  their  instruments  ;  and  to  Rev.  Photius  Fiske, 
for  several  acts  of  kindness  and  thoughtfulness  performed  at  various 
times  and  in  various  ways. 

V. — Acknowledgments  for  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 

The  editors  and  publishers  of  the  following  reviews,  magazines 
and  semi-monthly  and  weekly  papers,  continue  to  be  very  kind 
and  liberal  in  sending  us  their  publications  gratuitously',  which  are 
alwaj's  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with  interest :  — 

The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education    .         .     Boston,  Mass. 

The  Atlantic 

Boston  Home  Journal 

The  Christian 

The  Christian  Register 

The  Musical  Record 

The  Musical  Herald 

The  Folio      . 

Littell's  Living  Age 

Unitarian  Review  . 

The  Watchman 

The  Congregationalist 

The  Golden  Rule  . 

The  Missionary  Herald 

The  Salem  Register        .         .         .         .     Salem, 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  125 

Scribner's  Monthl}'        .         .         .         New  York,  N.Y. 

St.  Nicholas " 

The  Christian  Union      ...  "  " 

The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy  "  " 

Journal  of  Health  .         .         .  Dansville,  N.  Y. 

The  Penn  Monthlj'  .         .         .     Pliiladelplda,  Penn. 

Church's  Musical  Journal  .  .  .  Cincinnati,  0. 
Our  Reporter  ....  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
Goodson  Gazette,  Va.  Inst,  for  Deaf-Mutes  and  Blind. 
Tablet  .         .         .    West  Va.  "  "  "        " 

Companion  .  .  Minnesota  Institute  for  Deaf-Mutes. 
Mistletoe  .  .  .  Iowa  Institute  for  the  Blind. 
II  Mentore  dei  Ciechi     ....  Florence,  Italy. 

I  desire  again  to  render  the  most  hearty  thanks,  in  behalf  of  all 
our  pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  thus  nobly  remembered 
them.  The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  attentions 
have  sown  have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will  continue  to 
bear  fruit  in  after  years ;  and  the  memory  of  many  of  these 
delightful  and  instructive  occasions  and  valuable  gifts  will  be 
retained  through  life. 

M.  Anagnos. 


126 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


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PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — 27. 


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INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


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PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


129 


Certificate  of  the  Auditing  Committee. 

Boston,  Oct.  11,  1881. 

The  undersigned,  a  committee  appointed  to  examine  the  account  of 
the  treasurer  of  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for 
the  Blind,  for  the  year  ending  Sept.  30,  1881,  have  attended  to  that  duty, 
and  hei'eby  certify  that  they  find  the  payments  properly  vouched,  and  the 
accounts  correctly  cast,  resulting  in  a  balance  of  twenty-three  thousand, 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-seven  dollars,  and  three  cents  on  hand,  deposited 
in  the  New  England  Trust  Company  to  the  credit  of  the  institution. 

The  treasurer  also  exhibited  to  .us  evidence  of  the  following  property 
belonging  to  the  institution,  viz. :  — 


$77,000 


Harris  Fund. 

Notes  secured  by  mortgage  on  real  estate         .         .  $70,000 

1  bond  Boston  &  Lowell  Railroad  Company  .  ,  1 ,000 
3  bonds  Eastern  Railroad  Company  .  .  .  3,000 
3  bonds  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  &  St.  Paul  Railroad 

Company 3,000 

General  Fund. 

Notes  secured  by  mortgage  on  real  estate         .         .  $38,000 

2  bonds  of  Eastern  Railroad,  $500  each          .         .  1,000 

30  shares  Boston  &  Providence  Railroad  .         .         .  4,200 

50  shares  Fitchburg  Railroad 6,374 

Estate  No.  11  Oxford  street,  Boston         .        .         .  5,500 

Estate  No.  44  Prince  street,  Boston          .         .         .  3,900 

Estate  No.  197  Endicott  street,  Boston    .         .         .  2,300 

Printing  Fund. 

Note $10,000 

5  bonds  of  the  Ottawa  &  Burlington  Railroad  .  5,550 
5  bonds  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph,  &  Council 

Bluffs  Railroad 6,200 

2  bonds    of    the    Chicago,    Milwaukee,    and     St. 

Paul  Railroad 2,000 

23,750 

$162,024 

A.    T.   FROTHINGHAM,  )   ,  ^. .      ^ 

GEO.   L.    LOVETT,  ^  AudUtng  Committee. 

17 


61,274 


130 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


DETAILED    STATEMENT    OF    TREASURER'S 
ACCOUNT. 


GENERAL    FUND. 
Dr. 

1880-1881. 

To  cash  paid  on  auditor's  drafts       ....  $68,698  20 

city  of  Boston  for  taxes       .         .         .         177  84 
insurance     ......  30  00 

rent  of  box  in  Safe  Deposit  Vaults     .  20  00 

five  rights  on  new  stock  in  Fitchburg 

Raikoad  ...... 

assessments  on  new  stock  in  Fitchburg 

Raikoad 

land  in  Fifth  street      .... 


24  00 

500  00 
10,389  75 

$79,839  79 


1880. 

Oct.  1. 
6. 

10. 

18. 

23. 
Nov.     2. 


20. 

27. 

Dec. 

9. 

13. 

29. 

31. 

31. 

1881. 

Jan. 

1. 

15. 

Cr. 

By  balance  from  former  account 
Interest  on  note  of  $9,000,  6  months 
5,000,  6  months 
3,500,  6  months 
From  State  of  New  Hampshire 

dividend  on  Fitchburg  Railroad  shares 
interest  on  Eastern  Railroad  bonds 
Lowell  Railroad  bonds 
State  of  Massachusetts 
interest  on  note  of  $8,000,  6  months 
3,500,  6  months 
10,000,  6  months      . 
rents  collected,  R   E.  Apthorp,  agent     . 
interest  on  deposit  in  New  England  Ti'ust  Co 
note  of  $5,000,  6  months       . 

interest  on  note  of  $8,000,  6  months 

18,0C0,  6  months      . 
M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following:  — 
sale  of  books  in  raised  print  .         .      $507  07 


n,227  43 
270  00 
150  00 
105  00 

3,575  00 

135  00 

90  00 

25  00 

7,500  00 
240  00 
122  50 
300  00 
234  82 
126  45 
125  00 

200  00 
540  00 


tuning  ..... 
W.  D.  Garrison,  account  of  son 
A.  D.  Cadwell,  account  of  sou 


Amounts  carried  forward 


500  00 
150  00 
100  00 

[,257  07  $14,966  20 


1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


131 


Amounts  brought  forward   .         .         .         .         .  i 
1881. 

Jan.     15.  From  J.  R.  Cocke,  account  of  self. 

J.  H.  M'Cafferfcy,  acct.  of  daughter, 
Mrs.  Heine,  account  of  daughter  . 
town  of  Dedham,  account  of  Mary 

O'Hare 

Mrs.  Miiller,  acct.  of  Henry  Boesch, 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  account 

of  B.  F.  Parker 

J.  J.  Mundo,  account  of  daughter  . 

receipts  of  work  department :  — 

for  month  of  October,   |1,3.33  66 

November,  1,165  27 

December,      983  52 


1,257  07  114,966  20 


Jan.    28. 

29. 
Mar.  23. 
April    6. 


16. 
29. 


150 

00 

50 

00 

25 

00 

28 

10 

125 

00 

22 

00 

25  00 

3,482  45 


dividend  from  Fitchburg  Railroad  Company  , 
interest  on  Boston  and  Lowell  Railroad  bonds, 
dividend  from  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad, 
State  of  Massachusetts  .... 
interest  on  note  of  |15,000,  6  months  . 
5,000,  6  months     . 

25,000,  6  months     . 
State  of  Massachusetts  .         .         . 
interest  on  note  of  |9,000,  6  months 

5,000,  6  months      . 
M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following:  — 


Mrs.  Heine,  account  of  daughter  . 
income  legacy  to  Laura  Bridgman, 
W.  D.  Garrison,  account  of  son 
C.  G.  Dennison,  acct.  of  daughter . 
A.  D.  Cadwell,  account  of  son 
J.     H.     M'Cafferty,     account    of 
daughter     ..... 

W.  Easley,  account  of  J.  R.  Cocke, 
Mrs.  Knowlton,  acct.  of  daughter  . 
sale  of  old  junk,  etc.    . 

tablets       .... 

admission  tickets 
brooms,  acct.  of  boys'  shop, 
books  in  raised  print 
tuning  ...... 

receipts  of  work  department:  — 
for  month  of  January,     $845  70 
February,     654  81 
March,      1,023  05 


$25  00 

40  00 
150  00 

65  00 
100  00 

50  00 

150  00 

36  00 

56  34 

41  09 
36  90 
29  48 

726  58 
590  00 


2,523  56 


5,164  62 

157  50 

25  00 

120  00 

7,500  00 
450  00 
125  00 
750  00 

7,500  00 
270  00 
150  00 


4,619  95 


Amount  carried  forward 


$41,798  27 


132 


INSTITUTION    FOR   THE    BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  fortoard     . 
1881. 

May   28.  From  interest  on  note  of 
June     9. 


11. 


July     1. 


Aug. 


1.5. 
.3. 
6. 


10. 


30. 


.000,  6  months 
3,500,  6  months 
10,000,  6  months 
8,000,  6  months 
5,000,  6  months 
on  balance  at  New  England  Trust  Co 
interest  on  note  of  $15,000,  6  months     . 
18,000,  6  months     . 
collected 
State  of  Massachusetts  .... 
interest  on  Boston  and  Lowell  Railroad  bonds, 
b-tate  of  New  Hampshire 
interest  on  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad 

bonds  .         

M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following:  — 


C.  G.  Dennison,  acct.  of  daughter, 
George  E.  Fairbanks,  acct.  of  son, 
Mrs.  Miiller,  acct.  of  Henry  Boesch, 
A.  D.  Cadwell,  account  of  son 

tuning 

sale  of  old  junk,  etc, 

books  in  raised  print  . 
receipts  of  work  department :  — 
for  month  of  April     .  $1,333  19 
]\Iay      .    1,093  74 
June     .    1,509  52 


$60  00 
100  00 
125  00 

50  00 
200  00 

30  52 
524  46 


3,936  45 


State  of  Vermont  ..... 

Rhode  Island  .... 

Maine      ..... 

Connecticut      .... 
dividend  on  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad 

bonds  ..*... 

rents  collected  by  R.  E.  Apthorp,  agent 
interest  on  note      ..... 

M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  follovving:  — 

tuning   ......  $335  59 

sale  of  books  in  embossed  print     .  220  95 

Mrs.  Heine,  account  of  daughter  .  50  00 

Mrs.  Knowlton,  acct.  of  daughter  .  12  00 
State    Almshouse,    account  of    A. 

Sullivan 21  09 

sale  of  old  junk,  etc.      .         .         .  5  26 

tablets         .         .         .         .  24  17 


41,798  27 

2^0  00 

122  50 

300  00 

200  00 

125  00 

129  60 

450  00 

540  GO 

18  66 

7,500  00 

25  00 

3,150  00 

150  00 


5,026  43 
2,300  00 
3,100  00 
3,4.-d0  00 
3,775  00 

120  00 
328  69 
125  00 
687  50 


Amounts  carried  forward 


$669  06  $73,661  65 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  133 

Amounts  brought  forward |669  06  |73,661  65 

1881. 

Aug.  30.  From  sale  of  brooms,  acct.  of  boys'  shop,         24  75 
admission  tickets        .         .         20  22 
receipts  of  work  department:  — 
for  month  of  July       .  $1,140  01 
August.    1,073  84 
Sept.      .    1,962  10 

4,175  95 


4,889  98 
r8,551  63 


Analysis  of  Treasurer's  Account. 

The  treasurer's  account  shows  that  the  total  receipts  for 
the  year  were  ........ 

Less  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 


!578,551  63 
1,227  43 

$77,324  20 


Ordinary  Receipts. 

From  the  State  of  Massachusetts    . 

beneficiaries  of   other  states   and   indi- 
viduals      

interest,  coupons,  and  rents    . 

Extraordinary  Receipts 

From   work   department  for  sale    of    articles 

made  by  the  blind,  etc.    . 

sale  of  embossed  books  and  maps  . 

writing  tablets    . 
tuning    ...... 

sale  of  brooms,  account  of  boys'  shop 
sale  of  old  junk,  etc. 

admission  tickets 


$30,000  00 

21,059  19 
8,273  22 


14,118  41 
1,979  06 
65  26 
1,625  59 
54  23 
92  12 
57  12 


),332  41 


17,991  79 


$77,324  20 


General  Analysis  of  the  Steward's  Account. 
Dr. 
Amount  in  steward's  hands  Oct.  1,  1880  .  $2,054  82 

Receipts  from  auditors'  drafts  .         .         .  68,698  20 

Due  steward  for  supplies,  etc.,  Oct.  1,  1881     .  1,185  01 


Cr. 
Ordinary  expenses,  as  per  schedule  annexed    . 
Extraordinary  expenses,  as  per  schedule  an- 
nexed         


$71,938  03 


$47,290  82 
24,647  21 


■$71,938  03 


134 


INSTITUTION    FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. 


Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1881, 
AS  per  Steward's  Account. 


Meat,  26,131  lbs.     . 

Fish,  3,373  lbs. 

Butter,  5,250  lbs.     . 

Rice,  sago,  etc. 

Bread,  flour,  and  meal 

Potatoes  and  other  vegetables  . 

Fruit 

Milk,  21,182  quarts 

Sugar,  5,938  lbs.      . 

Tea  and  coffee,  423  lbs.  . 

(TTOceries  .         .         .         • 

Gas  and  oil      . 

Coal  and  wood 

Sundry  articles  of  consumx^tion 

Salaries,  superintendence,  and  instruction 

Domestic  wages 

Outside  aid      .... 

Medicines  and  medical  aid 

Furniture  and  bedding    . 

Clothing  and  mending     . 

Musical  instruments 

Expenses  of  tuning  department 

Expenses  of  boys'  shop   . 

Expenses  of  printing-office 

Expenses  of  stable  . 

Books,  stationery,  and  apparatus 

Ordinary  construction  and  repairs 

Taxes  and  insurance 

Travelling  expenses 

Rent  of  office  in  town 

Board  of  man  and  clerk  during  vacation 

Sundries 


Extraordinary  Expenses. 

Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs    . 

Bills  to  be  refunded 

Beneficiaries  of  the  Harris  Fund     . 

Printing  proceedings  of  meeting  at   Tremont 

Temple 

Expenses  of  work  department 


12,5-^8  57 

190  10 

1,601  08 

47  22 

1,743  54 

611  96 

305  12 

1,098  44 

576  27 

140  58 

681  23 

414  30 

2,950  87 

417  92 

15,513  85 

3,882  21 

274  53 

51  09 

1,936  57 

25  22 

290  00 

827  47 

84  53 

5,922  82 

215  21 

2,507  75 

1,498  29 

356  50 

204  02 

250  00 

51  00 

72  56 


17,783  78 

36  19 

880  00 

288  55 
15,658  69 


$47,290  82 


24,647  21 
$71,938  03 


1881.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  2T.  135 


General  Abstract  of  Account    of    Work    Department, 

Oct.  1,  1881, 

Liahililies. 
Due  institution   for  investments   since   the 

first  date $42,117  59 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  .         .  1,510  28 

$43,657  87 


Ass^ets. 
Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1881  .         .         .  $4,656  77 

Debts  due  Oct.  1,  1881        ....  1,795  78 


6,452  55 
$37,205  32 


Balance  against  work  department,  Oct.  1,  1881    .         .         .     $37,205  32 
Balance  against  work  department,  Oct.  1,  1880  .         .         .       36,018  99 

$1,186  33 


Dr. 

Cash  received  for  sales,  etc.,  during  the  year,  $14,118  41 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  during 

the  year 1,540  28 


$15,658  69 


Cr. 

Salaries  and  wages  paid  blind  persons          .  $3,435  03 

Salaries  paid  seeing  persons         .         .         .  2,352  16 

Sundries  for  stock,  etc 9,871  50 


$15,658  69 


136 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Account  of  Stock,  Oct.  1,  1881. 


Real  estate 

Railroad  stock 

Notes 

Harris  fund 

Printing  fund 

Household  furniture 

Provisions  and  supplies 

Wood  and  coal  . 

Stock  in  work  department 

Musical  department,  viz., — 

One  large  organ  . 

Four  small  organs 

Forty-four  pianos 

Brass  and  reed  instruments 


Books  in  printing-oflBce 

Stereotype  plates 

School  furniture  and  apparatus 

Musical  library 

Library  of  books  in  common  type 

Library  of  books  in  raised  type 

Boys'  shop         .... 

Stable  and  tools 


$5,500  00 
750  00 

10,800  00 
900  00 


f 258, 189  00 

11,574  00 

38,000  00 

80,761  25 

45,273  94 

16,700  00 

1,304  60 

3,302  49 

4,656  77 


17,950  00 
5,700  00 
2,800  00 
6,700  00 
625  00 
2,400  00 
6,000  00 
108  IC 
1,154  35 

$503,199  50 


1881.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  2T. 


137 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS  TO  PRINTING-FUND. 


1881, 

Jan.     1. 
25. 


27. 

28. 

29. 

3. 


Feb. 


10. 


18. 


19. 


23. 


24. 


Mar.    3. 


7. 


15. 


Received  from  Henry  B.  Rogers 

Misses  A.  and  M.  Wigglesworth 

Mrs.  W.  D.  Pickman 

Richard  Sullivan 

E.  Whiting 

Mrs.  A.  T.  Nickerson 

Mrs.  S.  E.  Guild 

Abby  W.  Turner 

Annie  M.  Sweetser    . 

Mrs.  E.  P.  Parker      . 

J.  T.,  jun. 

Mrs.  J.  Huntington  Wolcott 

Mrs.  C.  P.  Curtis       . 

R.  A.  L.  M.  G. 

Mrs.  Caroline  Merriam 

Charles  Merriam 

Shepherd  Brooks 

Mrs.  Eleanor  Bennett 

Mrs.  Peter  C.  Brooks 

Mrs.  Peter  C.  Brooks,  for  L.  Bridgman 

John  M.  Forbes 

Miss  A.  K.  S.    . 

Charles  E.  Ware 

Miss  Alice  Lockwood,  Providen 

Stephen  Salisbury,  Worcester 

J.  Howard  Nichols     . 

Mrs.  E.  B.  Bowditch 

C.  W.  A.  . 

C.  C.  Jackson    . 

A.  H.  C.    . 

Mrs.  G.  Rowland  Shaw 

George  W.  Wales 

Miss  Sarah  B.  Fay     . 

J.  I.  Bowditch  . 

H.  C.  B.    . 

Anonymous 

Mrs.  C.  H.  Dalton     . 


Amount  carried  foncard 
18 


$1,000  00 

50  00 

50  00 

50  00 

50  00 

100  00 

25  00 

100  00 

100  00 

50  00 

50  00 

200  00 

50  00 

50  00 

100  00 

.50  00^ 

75  00 ' 

100  00 

150  00 

50  00 

1,000  00 

5  00 

50  00 

25  00 

1,000  00 

25  00 

50  00 

53  50 

50  00 

20  00 

50  00 

100  00 

500  00 

100  00 

20  00 

1,544  70 

100  00 

$7,143  20 


138 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward     . 
1881. 

Mar.  15.  Received  from  Mrs.  A.  C.  Lodge 
Miss  A.  C  Lowell 
Stephen  G.  Deblois 
Mrs.  S.  P    Sears 
Henry  Saltonstall 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Conant 

23.  A  Friend  . 

E.  A.  G.    . 
-  Mrs.  B.  S.  Rotch 
Mrs.  Samuel  May 
Miss  A.  W.  May 

26.  J.  P.  Lyman      . 

R.  J.  Fellows     . 
James  E.  English 
Mrs.  Hoppin 
H.  Farnam 
Mrs.  A.  G.  Farnam 
H.  W.  Farnam  . 
Dr.  Dix      . 
Friend  to  Printing 

31.  A  Friend  . 

Sito    . 

B.  C.  White      . 
April   6.  W.  E.  Fette       . 

*  George  H.  Lyman 

Mrs.  Tinkham  . 
Mrs.  Sarah  Aldrich 
Miss  Marian  Russell 
A  Friend  . 
William  Minot  . 
A  Friend  . 
Oliver  Ditson     . 
Arthur  T.  Lyman 
Miss  M.  V.  lasigi 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Lowell 
Mrs.  J.  T.  Coolidge 
Mrs.  S.  T.  Dana 
A  Friend  . 
A.  B. 

A  Bostonian 
Miss  Palfrey 
Anonymous 
John  A.  Lowell 
Augustus  Lowell 
May    6.  George  Gardner 


8. 
11. 

14. 


20. 


29. 


7,143  20 

100  00 

50  00 

25  00 

25  00 

200  00 

125  00 

15  00 

8  00 

50  00 

100  00 

100  00 

50  00 

25  00 

25  00 

5  00 

100  00 

45  00 

20  00 

100  00 

20  00 

100  00 

100  00 

50  00 

5  00 

100  00 

5  00 

100  00 

100  00 

20  00 

50  00 

500  00 

500  00 

200  00 

10  00 

10  00 

100  00 

100  00 

200  00 

100  00 

1,000  00 

10  00 

25  00 

100  00 

100  00 

100  00 


Amount  carried  forward $12,016  20 


1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


139 


Amount  hrought  forward     ..... 

1881. 

May    6.  Received  from  Rev.  Samuel  A.  Devens 

S.  S.  of  South  Congregational  Church 
G.  D.  B.  Blaiichaixi    . 
Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Whitney 
16.  Mrs.  Theodore  Chase 

Mrs.  M.  Davis    . 
«  Miss  M.  J.  Davis 

"F."         .... 
Mrs.  Susan  O.  Brooks 

19.  J.  M.  Prendergast      . 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Bowditch 
Miss  H.  P.  Rogers     . 
"From  a  Friend"   (through  M.   K 

Baker) 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Baker      . 
"G.  R."   .... 
Miss  M.  J.  Garland   . 
Miss  R.  J.  Weston     . 
Friends  of  Katie  Grant 
June  14.  Miss  M.  A.  Wales      . 

Mrs.  S.  S.  Fay  . 
A  Friend  .... 
Mrs.  Robert  Swan 

20.  Samuel  Ward  . 
George  L.  Lovett 
Miss  Mary  Pratt         , 

30.  Arthur  Reed      . 

Miss  Mary  Russell     . 

A.  D.  Cadv^rell,  Fairmont,  Minn 

"  Friend  D."     . 

Moses  Hunt,  on  subscription  of  f  1 ,000 

Nathaniel  Thayer 
7.  W.  A.  Grover    . 

15.  Mrs.  William  Appleton      . 

William  Amory 

E.  D.  Barbour  . 

Samuel  Eliot 

William  Lawrence 

Mrs.  Sarah  W.  Whitman  . 

"  F."  .... 

A  Friend   .... 
20.  S.  D.  Warren    . 

Miss  E.  Howes  . 

H.  P.  Kidder     . 

Mrs.  K.  W.  Sears 


Amount  carried  forward $31,712  20 


July 


112,016  20 

50 

00 

25 

00 

25 

00 

50 

00 

30 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

10 

00 

1,000 

00 

25 

00 

450 

00 

5 

00 

500 

00 

100 

00 

5 

00 

5  00 

5 

00 

15 

00 

50 

00 

1,000 

00 

100 

00 

15 

00 

500 

00 

25 

00 

500 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

5 

00 

5,000 

00 

100 

00 

5,000 

00 

1,000 

00 

500 

00 

1,000 

00 

200 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

50 

00 

20 

00 

5 

00 

1,000  00 

100  00 

1,000 

00 

46 

00 

140 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


15. 


25. 
30. 


Sept.    3. 
22. 


30. 


in  all) 


Amount  brought  forward     .... 
1881. 

July  20.  Received  from  Moses  Hunt  (on  i|l,000) 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Ames 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Winthrop 

25.  John  A.  Bnrnharn 

Henry  Saltonstall  (SI, 000 

F.  H.  Peabody  . 

O.  W.  Peabody 

Ignatius  Sargent 

J.  R.  Coolidge   . 

Miss  A.  G.  Thayer    . 

J.  R.  Hall . 

C.  J.  Morrill      . 

H   H.  Hunnewell 

C.  H.  Dalton      . 

28.  "W." 

"C.  S.  C." 
Thomas  G.  Appleton 
J.  H.  Beal 
Aug.    3.  George  H.  Chickering 

Amos  A.  Lawrence    . 
Samuel  Downer 


Edward  Lawrence 

Ladies'  Domestic  Missionary  Society 

Portsmouth,  N.H. 
Moses  Hunt  (on  |1,000) 
R.  P.  Nichols     . 
Abbott  Lawrence 
Richard  T.  Parker     . 
Thomas  Wigglesworth 
Q.  A.  Shaw 
H.  B.  Inches 
Phillips  Brooks  . 
Mrs.  James  Greenleaf 
Martin  Brimmer 
E.  F.  Parker       . 
Mrs.  Gibson 
\Villiam  H.  Gardiner 
Moses  Hunt  (on  $1,000) 
A  Friend  . 

Mrs.  Phenister,  Chelsea 
Mrs.  L.  D.  James,  Williamsburg 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Spelman 
Charles  Davis,  jun.    . 


131,712 

20 

200 

00 

500 

00 

100  00 

1,000 

00 

800 

00 

250 

00 

100 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

100  00 

100  00 

300 

00 

2,000 

00 

ioo  00 

50 

00 

5 

00 

1,000  00 

100 

00 

100 

00 

200 

00 

20 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

25 

00 

200 

00 

25 

00 

500 

00 

200 

00 

200 

00 

3,000 

00 

100 

00 

100 

00 

200 

00 

200 

00 

100  00 

5 

00 

200 

00 

200 

00 

50 

00 

10 

00 

5 

00 

3 

00 

5 

00 

$44,365  20 

1881.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


141 


LIST   OF   EMBOSSED   BOOKS 
Printed  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE  OF  BOOK. 


Ch    > 


Howe's  Blind  Child's  First  Book 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Second  Book 
Howe's  Blind  Child's  Third  Book 
Howe's  Blind  Child's'  Fourth  Book 
Howe's  Cyclopaedia     . 
Baxter's  Call       .... 

Book  of  Proverbs 

Book  of  Psalms  .... 

New  Testament  (small) 

Book  of  Common  Prayer    . 

Hymns  for  the  Blind  . 

Pilgrim's  Progress 

Life  of  ]\Ielanchthon  . 

Natural  Theology 

Combe's  Constitution  of  Man 

Selections  from  the  Works  of  Swedeuborg 

Second  Table  of  Logarithms 

Philosophy  of  Natural  History  . 

Huxley's  Science  Primers,  Introductory 

Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe 

Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology  and  Hygiene 

Viri  Romte,  new  edition  with  additions 

Musical  Characters  used  by  the  seeing,  with  explanations 

Guyot's  Geography     .... 

Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England 

Anderson's  History  of  the  United  States 

Higginson's  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States 

Schmitz's  History  of  Greece 

Schmitz's  History  of  Rome 

Freeman's  History  of  Europe     . 

Eliot's  Six  Arabian  Nights 

Lodge's  Twelve  Popular  Tales    . 

An  Account  of  the  Most  Celebrated  Diamonds 

Extracts  from  British  and  American  Literature 

American  Prose  ...... 

Hawthorne's  Tanglewood  Tales 

Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop 

Dickens's  Christmas  Carol,  with  extracts  from  Pickwick 

Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost        .... 

Pope's  Essay  on  Man  and  other  Poems 
Shaks})eare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Caesar 
Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold 
Tennyson's  In  Memoriam  and  other  Poems 
Longfellow's  P^vangeline     .... 

Longfellow's  Evangeline  and  other  Poems 
Whittier's  Poems        ..... 

Lowell's  Poems  ...... 

Bryant's  Poems  ...... 


25 
25 
25 
25 
00 
50 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 

00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
35 
00 
50 
50 
50 
00 
50 
50 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


8  00 


00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


142        INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.       [Oct.  '81. 


LIST   OF   APPLIANCES   AND   TANGIBLE   APPARATUS 
made  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 

Geography. 


I.  —  Wall-Maps. 

1.  The  Hemispheres 

2.  United  States,  Mexico,  and  Canada 

3.  North  America 
South  America 


Europe 
Asia  . 
Africa 


8.  The  World  on  Mercator's  Projection 

Each  135,  or  the  set,  ^280, 


size  42  by  52  inches. 


II.  —  Dissected  Maps. 


Eastern  Hemisphere  . 
Western  Hemisphere 
North  America 
United  States 
South  America 
Europe 
Asia  . 
Africa 


ze  30  by  36  inches. 


Each  123,  or  the  set,  $184. 

These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability  and  beauty,  far  superior  to  all  thus 
far  made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 

"The  New-England  Journal  of  Education"  says,  "They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any 
schoolroom." 

III.  —  Pin-Maps. 
Cushions  for  pin-maps  and  diagrams each,  f 0  75 

Arithmetic. 

Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel-plated     . 
Ciphering-types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred  . 


Writing. 

Grooved  writing-cards    . 
Braille  tablets,  with  metallic  bed  . 
Braille  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed 
Braille  Daisy  tablets 


each, 

$4  25 

u 

1  00 

each. 

$0  10 

(( 

1  50 

(( 

1  00 

u 

1  00 

u 

5  00 

PUBLIC  DOCUMENT.  No.  27. 


FIFTY-FIEST  ANNUAL  EEPOET 


THE    TRUSTEES 


PERKINS    INSTITUTION 


p;assachus^tts  School  for  i\u  glind, 


FOK   THE   YEAR  ENDING 


SEPTEMBER    30,    1882. 


BOSTON: 

WRIGHT  &  POTTER  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS, 

18  Post  Office  Square. 

1883. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


Communication  to  the  Secretary  of  State,    . 

Officers  of  the  Corporation,  ...... 

Officers  of  the  Institution, 

Members  of  the  Corporation, 

Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Corporation, 

Report  of  the  Trustees, 

Semi-Centennial  Anniversary,  p.  17.  —  Embossing  Books  for  the 
Blind,  p.  20.  —  Kindergarten  and  Primary  School,  p.  23.— Finances, 
p.  25.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Apthorp,  p.  27.  —  Worii  Department  for 
Adults,  p.  29.  —  Final  Remarks,  p.  31. 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary, 

The  Report  of  the  Director, 

Literary  Department,  p.  38.  —  Music  Department,  p.  41.  —  Tuning  De- 
partment, p.  45.  —  Technical  Department,  p.  53.  —  Workshop  for 
the  Boys,  p.  53.  —  Work-rooms  for  the  Girls,  p.  54.  —  Department 
of  Physical  Training,  p.  54.  — The  Printing  Fund,  p.  55.  —  Absolute 
need  of  a  Kindergarten,  p.  58.  —  Occasions  of  Interest  during  the 
Year,  p.  65. —  Movement  in  Providence  for  the  Blind,  p.  70. — 
Effects  of  Political  Interference,  p.  72.  —  Misapprehensions  to  be 
avoided,  p.  76.  —  Conclusion,  p.  79. 

Acknowledgments, 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer, 

Certificate  of  the  Auditing  Committee, 

Detailed  Statement  of  Treasurer's  Receipts,  p.  90.  —  Analysis  of  Treas- 
urer's Receipts,  p.  93. 

General  Analysis  of  Steward's  Account, 

Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1882,  as  per 
Steward's  Account,  p.  95.  —  Analysis  of  Accounts  of  the  Printing 
Department,  p.  96. 
General  Abstract  of  Account  of  Work  Department, 
Account  of  Stock,  Oct.  1,  1882,      . 
List  of  Contributors  to  Printing  Fund, 
List  of  Embossed  Books,       .... 
List  of  Appliances  and  Tangible  Apparatus, 

Terms  of  Admission, 

APPENDIX, 

Proceedings  of  the  Celebration  of  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
Correspondence,  p.  135. 


PAGE 

4 
5 
6 
7 
13 
15 


33 
36 


&c.,p.  113 


81 
86 
89 


94 


96 
97 
98 
106 
108 
109 
111 


€ommontucaltl)  of  illassacljitsetta* 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Oct.  23,  1882. 

To  tbe  Hon.  Henry  B.  Peirck,  Secretary  of  State,  Boston. 

Dear  Sir:  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  for 
the  use  of  the  legislature,  a  copy  of  the  fifty-first  aanual 
report  of  the  trustees  of  this  institution  to  the  corpo- 
ration   thereof,    together   with   the    usual    accompanying 

documents. 

Respectfully, 

M.  ANAGNOS, 

Secretary. 


OFFICERS  OF   THE   CORPORATIOIS^. 

1882-83. 


SAMUEL  ELIOT,  President. 
JOHN   CUMMINGS,  Vice-President. 
EDWARD   JACKSON,  Treasurer. 
M.  ANAGNOS,  Secretary. 


JOHN   S.  DWIGHT. 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER. 
J.  THEODORE   HEARD,  M.D. 
HENRY   LEE    HIGGINSON. 
JAMES   H.  MEANS,  D.D. 
ROBERT  TREAT  PAINE,  Jun. 


BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 

EDWARD   N.   PERKINS. 
JOHN  C.  PHILLIPS. 
SAMUEL  M.  QUINCY. 
SAMUEL  G.  SNELLING. 
JAMES   STURGIS. 
GEORGE  W.  WALES. 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 

Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 

Whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Institution  at  least  once  in  each  month. 

1883.   July, .    .     .  E.  N.  Perkins. 

August, .    .  John  C.  Phillips. 
September,    S.  M.  Quinct. 
October,     .  S.  G.  Snellino. 
November,    James  Sturgis. 
December, .  Geo.  W.  Wales. 


1883.    January, 

J.  S. 

DwiGHT. 

February, 

J.  B. 

Glover. 

March,  . 

J.  T. 

Heard. 

April,     . 

H.  L. 

Higginson 

May, 

J.  H. 

Means. 

June, 

R.  T. 

Paine,  Jun. 

Committee  on  Education. 

J.   S.   DwiGHT. 

R.  T.  Paine,  Jun. 
S.  M.  Quincy. 


House  Committee. 

E.  N.  Perkins. 
G.  W.  Wales. 
J.  H.  Means. 


Committee  of  Finance. 

J.  B.  Glover. 
James  Sturgis. 
Samuel  G.  Snelling. 


Committee  on  Health. 

J.  Theodore  Heard. 
John  C.  Phillips. 
H.  L.  Higginson. 


Auditors  of  Accounts. 

Samuel  G.  Snelling. 

James  Sturgis. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  ES^STITUTIOI^. 


DIRECTOR. 
M.   ANAGNOS. 


MEDICAL  INSPECTOR. 
JOHN     ROMANS,    M.  D. 


LITERARY  DEPARTMENT. 
Miss  Julia  R.  Oilman.  Miss  Della  Bennett. 

Miss  Etta  S.  Adams. 
Miss  Annie  E.  Carnes. 
Miss  Julia  A.  Boylan. 


Miss  Maky  C.  Moore. 
Miss  Cora  A.  Newton. 
Miss  Emma  A.  Coolidge. 


Miss  Sarah  E.  Lane,  Librarian. 


Thomas  Reeves. 
Frank  H.  Kilbourne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Mary  L.  Riley. 
Miss  Lucy  A.  Hammond. 
Miss  Constance  A.  Heine 
Miss  Mary  A.  Proctor. 


MUSICAL   DEPARTMENT. 

Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 

C.    H.    HiGGINS. 

Ezra  M.  Bagley. 


Music  Readers. 

Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  Caroline  L.  Bates. 


TUNING   DEPARTMENT. 

JOEL  W.  SMITH,  Instructor  and  Manager. 

GEORGE  E.  HART,  Tuner. 


INDUSTRIAL  DEPARTMENT. 


Workshops  for  Juveniles. 
John  H.  Wright,  Work  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham,  Work  Mistress. 
Miss  Cora  L.  Davis,  Assistant. 
Thomas  Carroll,  Assistant. 


Workshop  for  Adults. 
A.  W.  BowDEN,  Manager. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  Dwelly,  Forewoman. 
Miss  M.  M.  Stone,  Clerk. 


DOMESTIC  DEPARTMENT. 


Steward. 
A.  W.  Bowden. 

Matron. 
Miss  M.  C.  Moulton. 
Miss  Virtiline  Haskell,  Assistant. 


Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Knowlton. 
Mrs.  L.  S.  Smith. 
Miss  Bessie  Wood. 
Miss  Lizzie  N.  Smith. 


PRINTING   DEPARTMENT. 

Dennis  A.  Reardon Malinger. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Howe,  Printer. 
Miss  Martha  F.  Rowell,  " 


Miss  E.  B.  Webster,  Book-keeper. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


All  persons  who  have  contributed  twenty-five  dollars  to 
the  funds  of  the  institution,  all  who  have  served  as  trustees 
or  treasurer,  and  all  who  have  been  elected  by  special  vote, 
are  members. 


Adams,  John  A.,  Providence. 
Aldrich,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  Boston. 
Ames,  F.  L.,  Boston. 
Ames,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  Boston. 
Ames,  Oliver,  Boston. 
Amory,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Amory,  James  S.,  Boston. 
Araory,  William,  Boston. 
Amory,  Mrs.  William,  Boston. 
Anagnos,  M.,  Boston. 
Andrews,  Francis,  Boston. 
Anthony,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence 
Appleton,  Miss  Emily  G.,  Boston, 
Appleton,  T.  G.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  Mrs.  William,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  William  F.,  Boston. 
Arnold,  A.  B.,  Providence. 
Atkins,  Mrs.  Elisha,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  William,  Boston. 
Austin,  Edward,  Boston. 
Aylesworth,  H.  B.,  Providence. 
Baldwin,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  W.,  Dorchester. 
Baker,  Ezra  H.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Miss  M.  K.,  Boston. 
Barbour,  E.  D.,  Boston. 
Bai'ker,  Joseph  A.,  Providence. 
Barstow,  Amos  C.,  Providence. 


Barrows,  Rev.  S.  J.,  Dorchester. 
Beal,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Beard,  Hon.  AJanson  W.,  Boston. 
Beckwith,  Miss  A.  G.,  Providence 
Beckwith,  Mrs.  T.,  Providence. 
Beebe,  J.  A.,  Boston. 
Bennett,  Mrs.  Eleanor,  Billerica. 
Bigelow,  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Binney,  William,  Providence. 
Black,  G.  N.,  Boston. 
Blake,  G.  Baty,  Boston. 
Blake,  James  H.,  Boston. 
Blanchard,  G.  D.  B.,  Maiden. 
Bourn,  A.  O.,  Providence. 
Bouv6,  Thomas  T.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  Mrs.  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  Mrs.  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  F.  H.,  Boston, 
Bradlee,  Mrs.  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Brewer,  Miss  C.  A.,  Boston. 
Brewer,  Mrs.  Mary,  Boston. 
Brewster,  Osmyn,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Hon.  Martin,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Francis,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Mrs.  F.  A.,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Peter  C.,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Rev.  Phillips,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Shepherd,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Mrs.  Susan  O.,  Boston. 


8 


INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Brown,  John  A.,  Pi'ovulence. 
Brown,  Mrs.  John  C,  Providence. 
Browne,  A.  Parker,  Boston. 
Biillarti,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Bullock,  Miss  Julia,  Providence. 
Bundy,  James  J.,  Providence. 
Burnett,  Joseph,  Boston. 
Burnham,  J.  A.,  Boston. 
Cabot,  Mrs.  Samuel,  Sen.,  Boston. 
Cabot,  W.  C,  Boston. 
Callender,  Walter,  Providence. 
Carpenter,  Chas.  E.,  Providence. 
Cary,  Mrs.  W.  F.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  P.  W.,  Boston. 
Chandler,Theophilus  P.,  Brookline. 
Chace,  J.  H.,  Providence. 
Chace,  J.,  Providence. 
Chapin,  E.  P.,  Providence. 
Chase,  Mrs.  Theodore,  Boston. 
Cheever,  Dr.  David  W.,  Boston. 
Cheney,  Benjamin  P.,  Boston. 
Cliickering,  George  H.,  Boston. 
Childs,  Alfred  A.,  Boston. 
Clafliu,  Hon.  William,  Boston. 
Clajjp,  William  W.,  Boston. 
Clarke,  Mrs.  Jas.  Freeman,  Boston. 
Clement,  Edward  H.,  Boston. 
Coats,  James,  Providence. 
Cobb,  Samuel  C,  Boston. 
Cobb,  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Cochrane,  Alexander,  Boston. 
Coffin,  Mrs.  W.  E.,  Boston. 
Colt,  Samuel  P.,  Providence. 
Conant,   Mrs.   Rebecca,   Amherst, 

N.  H. 
Coolidge,  Dr.  A.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  ,J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Corliss,  George  H.,  Providence. 
Cotting,  C.  U.,  Boston. 
Crane,  Zenas  M.,  Dalton. 
Crosby,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Crosby,  William  S.,  Boston. 
Cruft,  Miss  Annah  P.,  Boston. 


Cruft,  Miss  Harriet  O.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Hon.  John,  Woburn. 
Curtis,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Curtis,  Mrs.  Margarette  S.,  Boston. 
Dana,  Mrs.  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  Mrs.  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Danielson,  G.  W.,  Providence. 
Darling,  L.  B.,  Providence. 
Davis,  Miss  A.  W.,  Boston. 
Day,  Daniel  E.,  Providence. 
Deblois,  Stephen  G.,  Boston. 
Denny,  George  P.,  Boston. 
Devens,  Rev.  Samuel  A.,  Boston 
Ditson,  Oliver,  Boston. 
Dix,  J.  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Dunnell,  Jacob,  Providence. 
Dwight,  John  S.,  Boston. 
Eaton,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Eliot,  Dr.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Emery,  Francis  F.,  Boston. 
Emei'Y,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Emmons,  Mrs.  Nath'l  H.,  Boston. 
English,  Jas.  E.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Endicott,  Henry,  Boston. 
Endicott,  William,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Farnam,  Mrs.  A.  G.,  New  Haven. 
Farnam,  Henry,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Fay,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Mrs.  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Miss  Sarah  B.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
Fellows,  R.  J.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Ferris,  M.  C,  Boston. 
Fisk,  Rev.  Photius,  Boston. 
Fiske,  J.  N.,  Boston. 
Folsom,  Charles  F.,  M.D.,  Boston 
Forbes,  J.  M.,  Milton. 
Foster,  F.  C,  Boston. 
Freeman,  Miss  Hattie  E.,  Boston. 
French,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
Frothingham,  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Frothingham,  Rev.  Fred'k,  Milton. 
Galloupe,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Gammell,  Prof.  Wm.,  Providence. 


1882.] 


PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


Gammell,  Mrs.  Wm.,  Providence 
Gardiner,  Cimrles  P.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George  A.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  Henry  W.,  Providence. 
Gardner,  John  L.,  Boston. 
George,  Charles  H.,  Providence. 
Glidden,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Glover,  A.,  Boston. 
Glover,  J.  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Benjamin,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  T.  P.  I.,  Providence. 
Goddard,  William,  Providence. 
Goff,  Darius  L.,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 
Goir,  L.  B.,  Pawtucket. 
Gray,  Mrs.  Horace,  Boston. 
Greene,  Benj.  F.,  Providence. 
Greene,  S.  H.,  Providence. 
Greenleaf,  Mrs.  Jas.,  Charlestown. 
Greenleaf,  R.  C.,  Boston. 
Grosvenor,  William,  Providence. 
Grover,  W.  A.,  Boston. 
Guild,  Mrs.  S.  E.,  Boston. 
Hale,  Rev.  Edward  E.,  Boston. 
Hale,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Hall,  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Hall,  Miss  L.  E.,  Charlestown. 
Hardy,  Alpheus,  Boston. 
Haskell,  Edwin  B.,  Aul:)urndale. 
Hayward,  Hon.W^m.  S., Providence. 
Hazard,  Rowland,  Providence. 
Heard,  J.  T.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hemenway,  Mrs.  A.,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Hendrickeu,  Rt.  Rev.  T.  F.,  Provi- 
dence. 
Higginson,  George,  Boston. 
Higginson,  Henry  Lee,  Boston. 
Hill,  Hon.  Hamilton  A.,  Boston. 
Hill,  Mrs.  T.  J.,  Providence. 
Hilton,  William,  Boston. 
Hogg,  John,  Boston. 
Hooper,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Hooper,  R.  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hoppin,  Hon.  W.  W.,  Providence 
Hovey,  George  O.,  Boston. 


Hovey,  William  A.,  Boston. 
Howard,  Hon.  A.  C,  Providence. 
Howard,  Mrs.  Chas.  W.,  California. 
Howard,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Julia  W^ard,  Boston. 
Howes,  Miss  E.,  Boston. 
Houghton,  Hon.  H.  O.,  Cambridge. 
Hunnewell,  F.  W.,  Boston. 
Hunnewell,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Hunt,  Moses,  Charlestown. 
Hyatt,  Alpheus,  Cambridge. 
Inches,  H.  B.,  Boston. 
Ives,  Mrs.  Anna  A.,  Providence. 
Jackson,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Jarvis,  Edward,  M.D.,  Dorchester, 
Johnson,  Samuel,  Boston. 
Jones,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Joy,  Mrs.  Charles  H.,  Boston. 
Kendall,  C.  S.,  Boston. 
Kendall,  Henry  L.,  Providence. 
Kennard,  Martin  P.,  Brookline. 
Kent,  Mrs.  Helena  M.,  Boston. 
Kidder,  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Kinsley,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Lang,  B.  J.,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Abbott,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  Longwood. 
Lawrence,  Edward,  Chai-lestown, 
Lawrence,  Mrs.  James,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  William,  Boston. 
Lee,  Henry,  Boston. 
Lincoln,  L.  J.  B.,  Hingham. 
Linzee,  J.  W.,  Boston. 
Linzee,  Miss  Susan  I.,  Boston. 
Lippitt,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence, 
Littell,  Miss  S.  G.,  Brookline. 
Little,  J.  L.,  Boston. 
Littlefield,  A.  H.,  Pawtucket. 
Littlefield,  D.  G.,  Pawtucket. 
Lockwood,  A.  D.,  Providence. 
Lodge,  Mrs.  A.  C,  Boston. 
Lodge,  Henry  C,  Boston. 
Lord,  Melvin,  Boston. 


10 


INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Lotlirop,  John,  Auburndale. 
Lovett,  George  L.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Miss  A.  C,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Francis  C,  Boston. 
Lowell,  George  G.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Miss  Lucy,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Arthur  T.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Theodore,  Boston. 
McAuslan,  John,  Providence. 
Mack,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Macullar,  Addison,  Boston. 
Marcy,  Fred  I.,  Providence. 
Marston,  S.  W.,  Boston. 
Mason,  Miss  E.  F.,  Boston. 
Mason,  Miss  Ida  M.,  Boston. 
Mason,  L.  B.,  Providence. 
May,  Miss  Abby,  Boston. 
May,  F.  W.  G.,  Dorchester. 
May,  Mrs.  Samuel,  Boston. 
McCloy,  J.  A.,  Providence. 
Means,  Rev.  J.  H.,  D.D., Dorchester. 
ISIerriam,  Mrs.  Caroline,  Boston. 
Merriam,  Charles,  Boston. 
Metcalf,  Jesse,  Providence. 
Minot,  Mrs.  G.  R.,  Boston. 
Minot,  William,  Boston. 
Mixter,  Miss  Helen  K.,  Boston. 
Mixter,  Miss  Madelaine  C,  Boston. 
Montgomery,  Hugh,  Boston. 
Morrill,  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Morse,  S.  T.,  Boston. 
Morton,  Edwin,  Boston. 
Motley,  Edward,  Boston. 
Nevins,  David,  Boston. 
Nichols,  J.  Howard,  Boston. 
Nichols,  R.  P.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  A.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  Mrs.  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  George,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Nickcx'son,  Miss  Priscilla,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Noyes,  Hon.  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Osgood,  J.  F.,  Boston. 


Osborn,  John  T.,  Boston. 
Owen,  George,  Providence. 
Paine,  Mrs.  Julia  B.,  Boston. 
Paine,  Robert  Treat,  Jun.,  Boston. 
Palfrey,  J.  C,  Boston. 
Palmer,  John  S.,  Providence. 
Parker,  Mi's.  E.  P.,  Boston. 
Parker,  E.  F.,  Boston. 
Parker,  H.  D.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Richard  T.,  Boston. 
Parkman,  Francis,  Boston. 
Parkman,  George  F.,  Boston. 
Parsons,  Thomas,  Chelsea. 
Payson,  S.  R.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  Rev.  A.   P.,  D.D.,  Cam- 
bridge. 
Peabody,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  O.  W.,  Milton. 
Peabody,  S.  E.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Edward  N.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Perkins,  William,  Boston. 
Peters,  Edward  D.,  Boston. 
Phillips,  John  C,  Boston. 
Pickett,  John,  Beverly. 
Pickman,  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pickman,  Mrs.  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pierce,  Hon.  H.  L.,  Boston. 
Potter,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Providence. 
Pratt,  Elliott  W.,  Bo.ston. 
Prendergast,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Preston,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
Quincy,  Samuel  M.,  Wollaston. 
Rice,  Hon.  A.  H.,  Boston. 
Rice,  Fitz  James,  Providence. 
Richardson,  George  C,  Boston. 
Richardson,  John,  Boston. 
Robbins,  R.  E.,  Boston. 
Robeson,  W.  R.,  Boston. 
Robinson,  Henry,  Reading. 
Rodman,  S.  W.,  Boston. 
Rodocanachi,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Henry  B.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Jacob  C,  Boston. 
Rojies,  J.  C,  Boston. 


1882.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — :NTo.  27. 


U 


Ropes,  J.  S.,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Rotch,  Mrs.  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Russell,  Henry  G..  Providence. 
Russell,  Mrs.  Henry  G.,  Providence. 
Russell,  Miss  Marian,  Boston. 
Russell,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
Salisbury,  Stephen,  Worcester. 
Saltonstall,  H.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  Newton. 
Sanborn,  Frank  B.,  Concord. 
Sargent,  I.,  Brookline. 
Sayles,  F.  C,  Providence. 
Sayles,  W.  F.,  Providence. 
Schlesinger,  Barthold,  Boston. 
Schlesinger,  Sebastian  B.,  Boston. 
Sears,  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  Fred,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Sears,  F.  R.,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  K.  W.,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  S.  P.,  Boston. 
Sears,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Sharpe,  L.,  Providence. 
Shaw,  Mrs.  G.  H.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Henry  S.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Quincy  A.,  Boston. 
Shepard,  Mrs.  E.  A.,  Providence. 
Sherwood,  W.  H.,  Boston. 
Shimmin,  C.  F.,  Boston. 
Shippen,  Rev.  R.  R.,  Washington. 
Sigourney,  Mrs.  M.  B.,  Boston. 
Slack,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Slater,  H.  N.,  Jr.,  Providence. 
Snelling,  Samuel  G.,  Boston. 
Spaulding,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Spaulding,  M.  D.,  Boston. 
Sprague,  S.  S.,  Providence. 
Steere,  Henry  J.,  Providence. 
Stone,  Joseph  L.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  Francis  S.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  James,  Boston. 
Sullivan,  Richard,  Boston. 
Sweetser,  Mrs.  Anne  M.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  Mrs.  B.  W.,  Boston. 


Thacher,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Thaxter,  Joseph  B.,  Ilingham. 
Thayer,  Miss  Adele  G.,  Boston. 
Thayer,  Miss  A.  G.,  Andover. 
Thayer,  Rev.  George  A.,  Cincinnati. 
Thayer,  Nathaniel,  Boston. 
Thomas,  H.  H.,  Providence. 
Thorndike,  Delia  D.,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  S.  Lothrop,  Cambridge. 
Thurston,  Benj.  F.,  Providence. 
Tingley,  S.  H.,  Providence. 
Torrey,,Miss  A.  D.,  Boston. 
Troup,  John  E  ,  Providence. 
Tucker,  W.  W.,  Boston. 
Turner,  Miss  Abby  W.,  Boston. 
Turner,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  Providence. 
Upton,  George  B.,  Boston. 
Wales,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Wales,  Miss  Mary  Ann,  Boston. 
Wales,  Thomas  B.,  Boston. 
Ward,  Samuel,  New  York. 
Ware,  Charles  E.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Warren,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Warren,  Mrs.  Wm.  W.,  Boston. 
Wa.shburn,  Hon.  J.  D.,  Worcester 
Weeks,  A.  G.,  Boston. 
Weeks,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Weld,  R.  H.,  Boston. 
Weld,  Mrs.  W.  F.,  Philadelphia. 
Weld,  W.  G.,  Boston. 
Wesson,  J.  L.,  Boston. 
Wheelwright,  A.  C,  Boston. 
Wheelwright,  John  W.,  Boston. 
White,  B.  C,  Boston. 
White,  C.  J.,  Cambridge. 
Whiting,  Ebenezer,  Boston. 
Whitman,  Sarah  W.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Edward,  Belmont. 
Whitney,  E.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  H.  A.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  H.  M.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Mrs.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Miss,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Miss  Ann,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Edw.,M.D.,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Thomas,  Boston. 


12  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.    [Oct.  '82. 


Wightman,  W.  B.,  Providence. 
Wilder,  Hon  Marshall  P.,  Dorch. 
Willard,  Mrs.  Harry,  New  York. 
Williams,  Geo.  W.  A.,  Boston. 
Winslow,  Mrs.  George,  Roxbury. 
Winsor,  J.  B.,  Providence. 
Winthrop,  Hon.  Robert  C,  Boston. 


Winthrop,  Mrs.  Robert  C,  Boston. 
Woleott,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Woods,  Henry,  Paris,  France. 
VYorthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 
Young,  Mrs.  B.  L.,  Boston. 
Young,  Charles  L.,  Boston. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  PROCEEDINGS 


ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  COEPORATION. 


BosTox,  October  11,  1882. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  duly 
summoned,  was  held  today  at  the  institution,  and 
was  called  to  order  by  the  president,  Samuel  Eliot, 
LL.  D.,  at  3  p.  M. 

The  proceedings  of  the  last  annual  meeting  were 
read  by  the  secretary,  and  declared  approved. 

The  report  of  the  trustees  w^as  presented,  ac- 
cepted, and  ordered  to  be  printed  with  that  of  the 
director  and  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 

The  treasurer,  Mr.  Edward  Jackson,  read  his 
report,  which  was  accepted,  and  ordered  to  be 
printed. 

All  the  officers  of  the  past  year  were  reelected, 
Mr.  John  C.  Phillips  having  been  chosen  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  late  Robert  E. 
Apthorp. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved,  and  all  in  at- 
tendance proceeded,  with  the  invited  guests,  to 
visit  the  various  departments  of  the   school   and 

inspect  the  premises. 

M.  AKAGKOS, 

Secretary. 


Commonto^alll^  of  glassacljusftis. 


EEPORT   OF  THE  TRUSTEES. 


Perkins  Institutiox  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Sept.  30,  1882. 

To  the  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen,  —  The  undersigned,  trustees,  respect- 
fully submit  their  annual  report  upon  the  affairs  of 
the  institution,  together  with  an  account  of  the 
celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  anniversary,  pre- 
pared by  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  festival,  and  other  documents  relating 
to  the  progress  and  conduct  of  the  establishment. 

We  take  great  pleasure  in  reporting,  at  the  out- 
set, that  the  school  has  maintained  its  usual  high 
standard  of  usefulness  during  the  year,  and  that 
its  prosperity  is  undiminished. 

The  completion  of  the  printing  fund  is  a  theme 
for  especial  congratulation;  but  of  this  the  story 
will  be  fully  told  in  the  report  of  the  director. 

The  present  total  number  of  blind  persons  con- 


16  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

nected  with  the  establishment,  in  all  its  depart- 
ments, is  165. 

The  household  has  been  entirely  exempt  from 
disease  or  severe  illness,  and  blessed  with  the 
usual  degree  of  health. 

The  general  results  of  the  year's  experience 
have  been  very  satisfactory,  both  in  an  educational 
and  material  aspect,  and  call  for  grateful  acknowl- 
edgment. 

The  teachers  and  officers  have  performed  their 
respective  duties  with  commendable  zeal  and  in- 
defatigable energy,  and  have  proved  themselves 
worthy  of  the  fullest  confidence  and  praise. 

The  pupils  have  been  diligent  in  their  studies, 
attentive  to  their  occupations,  orderly  in  their 
manners  and  obedient  in  their  conduct. 

The  favors  bestowed  ujDon  the  institution  during 
the  past  3^ear  have  been  numerous  and  substantial. 
Their  recollection  is  a  source  of  great  happiness  to 
the  friends  of  the  blind,  and  urges  us  on  to  still 
greater  efforts  to  deserve  their  continuance. 

Members  of  our  board  have  made  frequent  visits 
to  the  school  and  close  examination  of  its  opera- 
tions, and  are  satisfied  that  kindness  is  the  law 
and  spirit  of  its  administration,  that  great  care  is 
taken  to  regulate  the  diet,  exercise  and  discipline 
of  the  pupils,  and  that  the  domestic  department  is 
conducted  with  systematic  neatness  and  reasonable 
frugality. 

In  closing  these   preliminary  remarks,  we  may 


1882]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  17 

be  permitted  to  add  that,  mindful  of  the  trust 
committed  to  om'  keeping,  of  the  powers  which  it 
delegates,  and  of  the  responsibiUty  which  it  im- 
poses, we  have  endeavored  to  direct  onr  action  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the 
institution,  promote  the  welfare  of  its  beneficiaries, 
subserve  the  interests  of  the  community,  and  ad- 
vance the  cause  of  humanity. 

Semi-Centennial  Anniversary. 

In  accordance  with  a  vote  passed  at  the  last 
annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  the  semi-cen- 
tennial anniversary  of  the  institution,  together 
with  the  commencement  exercises  of  the  school, 
was  held  at  Tremont  Temple,  on  Tuesday,  June 
13th,  at  3  p.  M.  A  very  large  and  cultivated  audi- 
ence, rciiresenting  the  intelligence,  benevolence 
and  wealth  of  our  community,  filled  the  large  hall. 
The  occasion  was  one  of  exceeding  interest,  and 
roused  feelings  of  the  deepest  gratitude  in  the 
hearts  of  all  lovers  of  the  cause  of  humanity.  It 
showed,  in  a  striking  manner,  the  workings  of  the 
school  in  its  various  departments,  and  the  marvellous 
changes  eflfected  through  its  agency  in  the  mental, 
physical,  moral  and  social  status  of  the  blind. 

Half  a  century  ago  this  afflicted  class  were  mere 
objects  of  pity  and  charity.  They  were  entirely 
dependent  upon  the  mercy  and  sympathy  of  their 
fellow  men.  JSTo  day  of  hopefulness  returned  to 
them  with  the  seasons  of  the  year.     They  w^ere 


18  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

suiTOunded  by  "  cloud  and  enduring  dark."  The 
doors  of  usefulness  were  closed  to  them,  and  the 
field  of  industry  was  an  unexplored  region  for 
them.  Their  calamity  was  so  appalling  to  the 
eyes  of  the  casual  beholders,  that  no  one  thought 
it  feasible  to  turn  into  their  minds  the  stream  of 
education,  and  fertilize  the  soil  of  their  activity  by 
means  of  enlightenment.  Thus  the  circle  of  their 
lives  may  be  likened  to  a  mere  pool  of  stagnant 
waters,  pregnant  with  the  ills  of  idleness  and  sor- 
row,'poverty  and  gloom,  unhappiness  and  neglect. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  the  blind  on  this  con- 
tinent, when  Fisher  and  Howe  and  Prescott  pro- 
claimed the  gospel  of  their  deliverance  from  the 
dungeon  of  intellectual  and  moral  darkness,  and 
pointed  out  the  means  which  could  be  used  as  a 
powerful  lever  to  raise  them  in  the  scale  of  inde- 
pendence and  dignity.  These  glad  tidings  touched 
a  responsive  chord  in  the  noble  hearts  of  such  gen- 
erous men  as  Colonel  Perkins,  Jonathan  Phillips, 
Peter  C.  Brooks  and  a  host  of  others  among  the 
public-spirited  sons  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  in- 
fant school  was  auspiciously  planted  and  tenderly 
nurtured  by  the  munificence  of  their  philanthropy. 
Thus  a  new  departure  was  inaugurated  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  blind,  and  fifty  years  of  labor  and 
struggle,  of  anxiety  and  encouragement,  of  toil 
and  hope  under  gigantic  difficulties,  ended  in 
triumph  and  success,  and  wrought  a  remarkable 
revolution   in   the  realm  of  humanity.     The  little 


1882.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  19 

timid  band  that  gathered  around  Dr.  Plowe  has 
grown  to  the  ranks  of  hundreds  and  thousands  ot 
active  and  self-supporting  men  and  women,  whose 
usefuhiess  is  one  of  the  fairest  flowers  of  the  asre, 
and  is  now  so  well  established  that  it  can  never 
be  uprooted  or  impaired. 

As  we  look  back  upon  this  half  century  of  inter- 
esting and  important  events  in  the  history  of  the 
education  of  the  blind,  it  seems  like  a  great  avenue 
leading  upward  to  that  goal,  which  Dr.  Eliot  so 
nobly  pointed  out  in  his  address  to  the  gradu- 
ating class,  and  Avhich  they  have  at  length  so 
nearly  reached.  Weary  has  been  the  journey  for 
themselves  and  for  their  helpers;  but  they  are 
there,  and  Heaven  be  praised  for  their  having  thus 
attained  the  object  for  which  fifty  years  have  been 
so  w^orthily  spent.  Many  have  died  ere  that  half 
cycle  was  completed.  Others  of  the  old  pupils 
have  lived  on  to  see  with  their  mind's  eye  the  vic- 
tor}^ which  has  crowned  their  cause,  and  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  fact  that  the  blind  man  of  today 
needs  no  longer  to  be  pleaded  for.  He  takes  his 
place  among  his  peers.  He  shares  with  them  all 
the  privileges  and  duties  of  citizenship.  He  con- 
stitutes an  integral  part  of  society.  True,  while 
his  fellow  men  are  sailing  towards  the  harbor  of 
success,  provided  with  every  possible  facility  and 
convenience,  he  is  steering  his  imperfect  and  scant- 
ily supplied  craft  under  immense  difficulties  and 
enormous  privations;   but  the   hardships   and  an- 


20  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

noyances  of  the  voyage,  discomforting  and  trying 
as  they  are  to  him,  are  not  profitless  and  without 
good  eifects  either  to  himself  or  the  community  in 
which  he  lives. 

Miss  Sophia  Carter,  one  of  the  first  six  pupils 
of  Dr.  Howe,  after  witnessing  the  exercises  at 
Tremont  Temple,  wrote  to  her  friends  at  the 
institution  that,  if  during  the  coming  fifty  years 
as  much  shall  be  done  as  has  been  accomplished 
since  the  foundation  of  our  school,  blindness  will 
almost  cease  to  be  a  calamity.  Let  the  noble 
work,  so  auspiciously  begun,  go  on  steadily  to 
such  a  glorious  consummation  as  to  render  these 
words  a  verity.  Let  Massachusetts  which,  for  half 
a  century,  has  led  the  way  in  the  cause  of  the  edu- 
cation of  the  blind,  suff'er  none  to  go  before  her 
now.  Let  her  still  bear  aloft  the  torch.  Her 
bright  example  is  already  emulated  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  whole  land. 

Embossing  Books  roR  the  Blind. 

The  work  in  the  printing  department  of  the  in- 
stitution has  been  carried  on  during  the  past  year 
with  unusual  vigor  and  exceedingly  satisfactory 
results,  and  numerous  valuable  books  have  been 
issued  by  the  "  Howe  Memorial  Press." 

"  Silas  Marner,"  which  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  finished  of  George  Eliot's  novels,  and  two 
volumes  of  poems,  one  consisting  of  selections 
from   the   works  of  Lowell  and   the   other  from 


1882-.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  21 

those  of  Bryant,  have  been  added  to  our  series  of 
standard  books.  The  whole  of  the  expense  for 
printing  and  electrotyping-  LoAvell's  poems,  amount- 
ing to  five  hundred  dollars,  was  defrayed  by  our 
colleague,  Mr.  Robert  Treat  Paine,  Jr. 

In  the  line  of  juvenile  publications  the  following 
books  have  been  issued  during  the  past  year:  Selec- 
tions from  the  tales  of  Hans  Christian  Andersen; 
"  Children's  Fairy  Book,"  a  collection  of  stories  in 
prose  and  verse;  "  Scribner's  Geographical  Read- 
er; "  a  series  of  seven  small  readers,  with  a  primer, 
and  three  volumes  of  the  "  Youth's  Library."  Of 
the  character  and  usefulness  of  this  last  work,  the 
following  explanations,  copied  from  its  prefiice, 
will  give  a  suflScient  idea: 

"  '  The  Youth's  Libraiy,'  consisting  of  seven  volumes  of  full 
size,  is  a  continuation  of  the  small-sized  readers,  which  have 
just  been  published  in  seven  parts,  with  a  primer,  under  the 
title  of  '  The  Child's  Book.'  The  two  series  of  books  form 
together  a  complete  set  of  s3-stematicallv  arranged  and  care- 
fuUj'  graded  readers.  The  character  and  classification  of  (he 
lessons  and  exercises  contained  in  them  have  been  determined 
by  special  stud^-  of  the  wants  of  the  blind.  Almost  all  the 
pieces  present  a  freshness  and  attractiveness  not  less  welcome 
than  novel.  They  have  been  selected  from  a  great  variet\'  of 
books  of  child-lore,  natural  histor}'  and  philosoi)hy,  mythology, 
astronomy'  and  general  literature,  with  a  view  of  interesting  ihe 
pui)ils  in  learning  to  read,  and  at  the  same  time  of  giving  them 
a  large  fund  of  useful  information  regarding  the  world  around 
them.  The  lessons  of  some  of  the  readers  relate  mainlv  to 
zoolog3',  while  in  others  botau}-  or  mineralogy,  physics  or  his- 
tory, biograph}'  or  literature,  predominate.     The  principal  idea 


22  INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIXD.        [Oct. 

in  each  of  the  volumes  is,  however,  to  teach  children  aud  youth 
to  read,  to  awaken  in  them  the  greatest  possible  interest  in 
everything  that  is  beautiful,  good,  or  useful,  and  to  sustain  it 
b\'  such  guidance  as  tends  to  a  gradual  and  sj'stematic  edu- 
cational development." 

For  the  publication  of  Andersen's  stories  and 
tales,  and  the  seven  small  readers,  with  the  primer, 
we  are  indebted  to  the  gi-eat  and  ceaseless  gener- 
osity of  Mrs.  Peter  C.  Brooks,  wdio  has  befriended 
the  blind  in  various  ways,  and  whose  munificent 
liberality  will  ahvays  shine  forth  like  a  bright  gem 
in  the  annals  of  beneficent  actions. 

The  arrangements  of  our  pi-inting  office  are  now 
complete  in  all  their  details.  The  appliances  and 
facilities  for  doing  steady  and  thorough  Avork  have 
been  improved  and  increased,  wdiile  the  cost  of 
embossed  books  has  been  greatly  reduced.  The 
imj^ression  obtained  from  our  electrotyped  plates 
is  even,  sharp,  firm  and  durable.  The  quality  of 
the  paper  and  all  other  materials  used,  continues 
to  be  excellent.  According  to  the  uniform  testi- 
mony, volunteered  by  intelligent  and  experienced 
readers  from  various  parts  of  the  country,  the  pro- 
ductions of  our  press  are  in  every  respect  finer 
and  superior  to  those  of  any  other.  Moreover,  a 
careful  examination  of  the  prices  marked  on  our 
catalogue  w^ill  show  that  they  are  at  least  seven- 
teen per  cent,  lower  than  those  charged  elsewhere. 

Wishing  to  extend  the  benefits  flowing  from  our 
printing  establishment   to   all   blind  persons  Avho 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  23 

may  be  in  need  of  them,  the  following  preamble 
and  resolutions  were  unanimously  passed  at  the 
last  quarterly  meeting  of  our  board: 

"TF7ie7*eas,  The  object  of  the  friends  of  the  blind  in  raising 
an  endowment  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  '  Howe 
Memorial  Press,'  is  not  only  to  provide  the  pupils  of  our  insti- 
tution with  an  adequate  supply  of  embossed  books  and  tan- 
gible apparatus,  but  also  to  render  our  publications  accessible 
to  all  sightless  readers  in  New  England,  and  to  aid,  so  far  as 
it  lies  in  our  power,  all  other  schools  similar  to  our  own  in 
their  efforts  to  increase  and  improve  their  educational  facilities  : 

'■'•Resolved,  That  copies  of  the  books  issued  by  our  press  be 
placed  in  the  public  libraries  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island  ; 
Worcester,  Massachusetts ;  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  Lew- 
iston,  Maine,  to  be  loaned  free  of  charge  to  all  blind  persons 
who  ma}^  desire  to  read  them. 

'■'■Resolved,  That  all  our  publications  be  sold -to  regular  insti- 
tutions at  fifteen  per  cent,  below  the  actual  cost  marked  on 
our  catalogue." 

We  earnestly  trust  and  hope  that  w^e  shall  soon 
be  so  favored  by  circumstances  as  to  increase  this 
discount  to  forty  per  cent,  at  least,  and  reduce  the 
cost  of  embossed  books  to  the  lowest  possible 
figure. 

KlNDERGAETE]^   AND   PRIMARY    ScHOOL. 

It  was  stated  in  the  course  of  the  exercises  of 
the  semi-centennial  anniversary  at  Tremont  Tem- 
ple, that  the  most  urgent  need  in  the  cause  of  the 
education  of  the  blind  is  the  establishment  and 
endowment  of  a  kindergarten  or   primary   school. 


24  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

A  careful  investigation  of  the  matter  will  prove, 
beyond  doubt,  that  the  organization  of  an  institu- 
tion of  this  kind  is  not  a  mere  desideratum;  it  is  an 
imperative  necessity. 

There  is  in  New  England  a  large  number  of 
blind  children  betAveen  the  ages  of  five  and  nine, 
.who  are  too  young  to  be  received  in  a  mixed 
school  like  ours.  They  live  and  move  in  a  very 
unhealthy  atmosphere.  Their  minds  are  contami- 
nated by  low  influences,  and  their  growth  stinted 
by  their  confinement  in  ill-ventilated  and  comfort- 
less quarters.  They  waste  away  under  the  rust  of 
neglect,  and  the  want  of  sufficient  food  and  proper 
care.  They  parch  and  pine  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  refreshing  waters  of  a  benevolence  known 
all  over  the  (Civilized  world. 

For  such  children  the  kindergarten  system,  with 
the  genial  warmth  of  kindness  radiating  from  its 
principles,  with  its  methodically  arranged  gifts  and 
games,  its  block  building,  weaving,  sewing  and 
modelling,  affords  the  best  and  most  efficient  means 
of  training.  It  is  calculated  to  awaken,  strengthen 
and  regulate  their  faculties  of  imagination,  volition 
and  action,  which  are  weakened  by  their  infirmity, 
depressed  by  the  wretchedness  of  their  surround- 
ings, and  benumbed  by  the  frost  of  their  pi-iva- 
tions.  It  promises  to  raise  them  up  from  a  state 
of  misery,  sloth  and  torpor,  to  that  of  comfort, 
activity  and  diligence.  It  will  create  a  new  era  in 
the  history  of  the  education  of  the  blind,  by  laying 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  25 

the  foundations  and  increasing  the  possibilities  of 
a  higher  standard  of  attainments  than  has  hitherto 
been  reached. 

The  necessity  for  immediate  action  in  this  mat- 
ter is  thoroughly  discussed  and  plainly  shown  in 
the  report  of  the  director,  and  an  appeal  is  made 
in  behalf  of  these  unfortunate  children  for  the 
foundation  and  endowment  of  such  a  school  as 
would  be  the  means  of  their  deliverance  from  their 
present  condition.  The  call  for  aid  to  this  end  is 
clear,  broad,  pathetic  and  to  the  point.  We 
heartily  commend  it  to  the  favorable  consideration 
of  a  generous  public. 

Fln'Ances. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Mr.  Edward  Jack- 
son, is  hereto  annexed. 

It  is  as  usual  clear,  concise  and  accurate  in 
every  particular,  and  shows  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  institution  to  be  in  as  favorable  a  state  as 
ever  before. 

It  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

Total  receipts  during  the  year,     .    $79,306  42 
Total  expenditures,      .         .         .      69,607  83 


$9,638  59 

Deducting  amount  due  at  the  beginning  of  the  3'ear,       1,288  16 


Cash  balance  in  the  treasury,  ....     $8,350  43 


26  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.       [Oct. 

For  an  easier  and  more  minnte  examination  of 
the  financial  concerns  of  the  establishment,  the 
report  of  the  treasnrer  is  accompanied  by  an  anal- 
ysis of  the  steward's  acconnts,  by  which  both  the 
ordinary  and  extraordinary  receipts  and  expenses 
may  be  seen  and  understood  at  a  glance. 

Owing  to  the  advanced  prices  of  provisions  and 
all  other  articles  of  household  consumption,  it  has 
been  necessary  for  us  to  spend,  during  the  past 
year,  a  larger  sum  of  money  than  during  the  pre- 
vious one;  but  we  have  endeavored  to  be  strictly 
prudent  in  all  disbursements.  We  have  lavished 
nothing  on  show  or  ornamentation.  Our  rule 
has  been,  however,  that  the  best  and  most  ap- 
proved system  is  the  cheapest  in  the  end;  and 
when  a  question  has  occurred  as  to  the  adoption 
of  one  of  two  methods  of  procedure,  we  have 
asked  which  is  the  best  and  most  promotive  of  the 
interests  of  the  school,  and  not  which  costs  the 
least. 

The  auditors  have  kept  a  constant  supervision 
over  the  expenditures  of  the  establishment.  They 
have  examined  the  accounts  regularly  at  the  end 
of  each  month,  and  have  certified  that  they  have 
found  them  correctly  kept,  and  all  entries  2^1'operly 
authenticated  by  vouchers,  which  are  approved, 
numbered  and  placed  on  file. 

It  is  with  a  feeling  of  much  gratitude,  that  we 
desire  to  express  our  obligations  to  these  gentle- 
men, as  well  as  to  the  treasurer  of  the  corporation, 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMEXT  — Xo.  27.  27 

for  the  fidelity,  wisdom  and  promptness  which 
they  have  shown  in  the  discharge  of  their  respec- 
tive duties. 

Death  of  Mr.  Apthoep. 
Since  the  last  meeting  of  the  corporation  our 
board  has  met  with  a  great  loss  in  the  death  of  Mr. 
Robert  East  Apthorp,  which  took  place  at  his 
home  on  the  10th  of  February  last,  at  the  age  of 
seventy.  Mr.  Apthorp  has  been  associated  with 
us  for  fifteen  years,  and  has  at  all  times  and  on  all 
occasions  been  a  wise,  faithful  and  useful  counsel- 
lor and  cooperator.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  institution.  He  made  frequent  informal  visits 
to  the  school,  and  ever  gave  his  afiectionate  and 
cheering  sympathy  and  encouragement  to  the 
teachers,  the  ofiicers  and  the  children.  He  never 
declined  any  labor,  or  shrank  from  any  responsi- 
bility. He  took  an  active  part  in  the  movement 
for  raising  the  printing  fund,  and  several  of  his 
pathetic  appeals  which  appeared  in  the  "  Daily  Ad- 
vertiser," the  "Evening Transcript,"  the  "Christian 
Register,"  and  other  newspapers,  touched  many  a 
tender  heart  and  rendered  the  task  of  soliciting 
subscriptions  somewhat  easier  for  Mr.  Snelling. 
The  trustees  embodied  their  sense  of  his  character 
and  services  in  the  following  resolutions,  which 
were  communicated  to  his  family  and  entered  on 
the  records :  — 

"  Besolved,  1.  That  in  the  death  of  Robert  East  Apthorp,  we 
mourn  the  loss  of  a  dear  and  honored  associate  and  friend,  whose 


28  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

long  and  faithful  service  in  the  many  difficult  and  delicate  trusts 
and  functions  which  have  fallen  to  him  among  the  duties  of  this 
board  ;  whose  hearty  and  untiring  devotion,  even  in  his  daj's  of 
suffering,  to  the  best  good  of  the  Perlvins  Institution  ;  whose 
warm  personal  interest  and  friendship  for  the  blind  pupils  and 
the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  school ;  and  whose  uniform,  con- 
sistent courtesy  and  dignity,  and  charm  of  manner,  —  a  cour- 
tesy' that  sprang  from  a  sincere  regard  and  sympath}'  for  others, 
high  or  low,  —  a  dignit}'  in  which  self-respect  meant  true  respect 
for  human  nature  ;  in  short,  whose  whole  influence  and  example 
as  a  member  of  this  board  have  endeared  him  to  ever}-  inmate, 
manager  and  friend  of  the  institution,  and  made  our  intercourse 
with  him  a  sweet  raemor}'  for  all  our  lives. 

"2.  That  we  heartily  indorse  the  touching  resolutions  passed 
in  honor  of  his  memory  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  officers, 
teachers  and  pupils  of  the  school. 

"3.  That  we  are  thankful  for  his  long  and  effectual  cooperation 
■with  us,  and  for  the  example  he  has  set  us  ;  and  we  trust  that 
the  spirit  and  the  influence  of  that  example  may  still  live  in  us 
and  those  who  shall  succeed  us  in  the  responsible  charge  which 
we  have  undertaken. 

"  4.  That  the  respectful  sj'mpathies  of  this  board  are  hereby 
tendered  to  the  famil}- and  nearest  friends  of  the  deceased  in 
this  their  deep  affliction  ;  and  that  a  cop}'  of  these  resolutions  be 
transmitted  to  the  family  by  the  secretary  and  entered  on  the 
records." 

The  resolutions  of  the  officers,  teachers  and 
pupils,  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the  above,  were 
as  follows:  — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  household  of  the  institu- 
tion are  deeply  afljected  by  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Robert  E. 
Apthorp,  late  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  that  we 
are  called  upon  to  mourn  in  his  decease  the  loss  of  one  of  the 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  20 

most  constant  and  efficient  friends  of  the  cause  of  the  education 
of  the  blind,  one  whose  intelligent  interest,  active  labors  and 
wise  counsels  have  contributed  largely  to  the  career  of  useful- 
ness and  beneficence  of  our  school. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  desire  to  express  our  profound  gratitude 
for  his  warm  sympathy,  his  genial  courtesy  and  his  noble 
friendliness  toward  each  and  all  the  members  of  our  household. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  secretar}'  be  directed  to  transmit  a  copy 
of  these  resolutions  to  the  family  of  the  deceased." 

We  mourn  also  the  death  of  three  other  esti- 
mable friends  of  the  institution,  —  that  of  Mr. 
Benjamin  S.  Rotch,  who  served  for  many  years  as 
a  trustee;  that  of  Miss  Mary  Wigglesworth,  who 
has  shown  her  good-will  toward  its  beneficiaries 
by  generous  voluntary  contributions  to  its  funds, 
and  that  of  Mr.  Delano  A.  Goddard,  late  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  "  Boston  Daily  Advertiser,"  who  took  a 
deep  interest  in  the  school,  visited  it  repeatedly, 
and  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  advancement  of 
the  cause  of  the  education  of  the  blind  through  the 
influential  columns  of  his  journal. 

"Work  Department  for  Adults. 

The  operations  of  this  department  have  been 
carried  on  steadily  during  the  last  year,  but  its 
financial  condition,  although  improved  somewhat, 
is  still  far  from  satisfactory. 

The  receipts  from  all  sources  have  amounted  to 
$15,680.86,  being  an  increase  of  |1,5G2.45  over 
those  of  the  previous  year. 


30  IXSTITUTIOX   FOR   THE   BLIXD.        [Oct. 

The  expenses  for  stock,  labor,  rent  of  store  and 
all  other  items  have  been  $16,748.06. 

Thus  the  actual  loss  of  this  department  during 
the  last  twelve  months  is  $1,117.29,  while  that  of 
the  preceding"  year  amounted  to  $1,186.33. 

The  number  of  blind  persons  employed  in  the 
workshop  is  20;  and  the  sum  paid  in  cash  to  them, 
as  wages  for  their  labor,  is  $3,600.81,  or  $165.78 
more  than  in  1881. 

This  exhibit  shows  that,  although  the  sales  of 
our  industrial  department  have  slightly  increased, 
they  are  not  yet  sufficient  to  pay  the  expenses  and 
to  give  employment  to  all  meritorious  blind  men 
and  women  who  need  it. 

The  patronnge  of  our  fellow  citizens  to  this 
beneficent  enterprise  is  again  earnestly  solicited, 
and  with  the  fullest  confidence  that  the  mattresses, 
feather-beds,  pew  and  boat  cushions,  door-mats, 
and  the  rest  of  the  articles  manufactured  in  our 
workshop,  are  as  good  in  material  and  as  strong 
in  fabric  as  the  best  in  the  market.  They  are  put 
at  the  lowest  possible  price,  and  the  public  are 
requested  to  call  and  examine  them  without  being 
expected  to  pay  any  more  than  their  real  value, 
with  no  increase  of  charges  for  the  benefit  of  the 
blind  who  make  them.  The  current  of  a  liberal 
patronage  must  float  an  enterprise  which  affords  to 
a  number  of  afflicted  men  and  women  the  means 
for  self-support  and  comfort. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  31 


FiN^AL  Remarks. 

In  summing  up  the  review  of  last  year's  work, 
we  rejoice  to  think  that  you  will  find  ample  evi- 
dence in  it  that  the  trust  committed  to  our  charo-e 
has  been  faithfully  and  successfully  administered, 
and  has  furnished  renewed  cause  for  the  most 
grateful  remembrance  of  the  illustrious  founders 
of  the  institution. 

We  cannot  take  leave  of  the  benefactors  and 
friends  of  the  school  without  thanking  them  heart- 
ily for  the  continuance  of  the  favors  which  they 
have  bestowed  upon  it,  and  their  kind  appreciation 
of  our  endeavors  to  render  it  a  rich  blessing  to  its 
beneficiaries.  We  assure  them  that  no  pains  shall 
be  spared  on  our  part  to  make  it  even  more  efii- 
cient  and  useful  in  the  future  than  it  has  been  in 
the  past. 

Finally,  we  would  commend  the  institution  and 
the  interests  of  the  blind  to  the  fostering  care  of  the 
executives  and  the  legislative  bodies  of  Kew  Eng- 
land; to  the  special  attention  of  the  corporation, 
and  to  the  generous  aid  of  the  public.  They  still 
have,  each  and  all,  important  duties  to  perform. 
The  establishment  still  requires  their  kind  coun- 
tenance, encouragement  and  assistance,  for  it  has 
not  yet  reached  its  highest  point  of  usefulness;  nor 
can  it  ever  do  so  without  the  earnest  efibrts   and 


32  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

hearty   cooperation   of  all   with   whom    rests    the 
responsibility  of  its  snccess. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

JOHN  S.  DWIGHT, 
JOSEPH  B.  GLOVER, 
J.  THEODORE  HEARD, 
HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON, 
JAMES  H.  MEANS, 
ROBERT  TREAT  PAINE,  Jdn., 
EDWARD  N.  PERKINS, 
JOHN  C.  PHILLIPS, 
SAMUEL  M.  QUINCY, 
SAMUEL  G.  SNELLING, 
JAMES  STURGIS, 
GEORGE  W.  WALES, 

Tricstees. 


1882.]         PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


33 


REPORT  ON  THE  FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY. 


To  THE  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen, — The  committee  on  the  celebration  of 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  feel  that  there  is  little  left 
for  them  to  report  after  the  signally  fine  report  made 
by  the  festival  itself  and  by  the  school.  They  entered 
at  once  upon  the  work  of  preparation,  which  for 
them  was  limited  mainly  to  the  outward  aspects 
of  the  aff'air,  the  engaging  of  eminent  speakers,  the 
issuing  of  invitations  to  governors,  mayors,  dis- 
tinguished men  and  women,  and  the  friends  of  the 
blind  in  general,  being  relieved  of  all  anxiety  or 
labor  about  the  exercises  in  themselves,  and  the 
whole  plan  and  arrangement  of  the  programme 
(beyond  some  general  consultation),  by  the  admir- 
able judgment,  the  fruitful  invention  and  the  en- 
thusiastic, timely,  thorough  and  well-ordered  work 
of  the  whole  hive  of  pupils,  teachers  and  director. 
The  festival  came  oft'  as  announced  on  the  after- 
noon of  June  13,  1882,  at  the  Tremont  Temple, 
which  was  filled  at  an  early  hour  with  an  audience 
of  culture  and  of  character,  attracted  by  no  idle 
curiosity,  but  full  of  tender  human  interest  in  the 
education  and  the  welfare  of  the  blind. 


34  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Several  of  the  most  eloquent  philanthropists  of 
our  country  had  expressed  the  deepest  interest  in 
the  occasion,  and  a  desire  to  take  part  in  it  per- 
sonally and  viva  voce,  and  were  detained  only  by 
imperative  engagements.  His  Excellency  Governor 
Long  had  heartily  consented  to  preside  and  speak, 
but  was  prevented  by  an  absolute  necessity  of  rest 
and  change  of  scene.  Col.  Higginson  with  jo}^ 
consented  to  make  the  principal  address,  but  ill- 
ness interfered;  yet  the  disappointment  was  soon 
forgotten  in  the  admii-ably  pertinent,  impressive, 
eloquent  remarks  made  by  the  honored  president 
of  our  corporation,  who  took  the  chair,  and  who 
also  spoke  words  of  wisdom  and  good  cheer  to 
those  pupils  who  received  at  his  hands  their  diplo- 
mas on  the  completion  of  their  studies. 

The  exercises  of  the  pupils  were  of  the  most 
•interesting  description,  covering  a  wide  and  varied 
field  of  reading  from  raised  type,  declamation, 
original  essays,  well  conceived  and  well  expressed 
both  in  the  writing  and  delivery,  strikingly  beau- 
tiful exercises  in  geography,  in  military  drill  and 
calisthenics,  and  touchingly  so  those  of  the  kinder- 
garten class  in  modelling  from  clay,  etc.  And  the 
whole  was  sweetened  and  enlivened  by  excellent 
music  from  the  school  band,  and  airs,  part-songs^ 
and  instrumental  solos  of  really  artistic  character. 
To  these  were  added  a  beautiful  poem,  written  and 
recited  by  Mrs.  Anagnos,  and  an  off-hand  address 
by  the  indefatigable  director,  Mr.  Anagnos,  present- 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  35 

ing  a  very  earnest,  cogent  plea  for  the  means  of 
founding  the  next  most  needed  auxiliary  and  com- 
plement to  the  school  :  to  wit,  a  preparatory  or 
kindergarten  school  for  the  youngest  children  who 
are  blind. 

The  audience  listened  with  delighted  interest, 
many  with  moist  eyes,  to  all  this,  in  spite  of  the 
unexpected  great  length  of  the  exercises.  A  new 
life,  too,  was  given  to  the  occasion  by  the  announce- 
ment of  the  completion  of  the  printing  fund  of 
1100,000. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

J.  S.  DWIGHT, 
SAMUEL  M.  QUINCY, 
WM.  F.  APTHORP, 

Committee. 


36  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 


THE  REPORT  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To  THE  Trustees. 

Oentlemcn, — Another  year  in  the  Hfe  of  our  in- 
stitution has  passed,  and  it  affords  me  very  great 
pleasure  to  say  that  so  even  has  been  the  tenor  of 
its  way,  that  in  turning  back  the  record  of  its  days, 
weeks  and  months,  little  is  found  which  calls  for 
special  notice. 

The  general  state  of  the  school  has  been  both 
pleasant  and  prosperous,  and  no  adverse  event  has 
occurred  to  retard  the  progress  or  impair  the  use- 
fulness of  the  institution. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected 
with  the  various  departments  of  the  establishment 
at  the  beginning  of  the  past  year,  as  pupils, 
teachers,  employes,  and  work  men  and  women,  was 
162.  There  have  since  been  admitted  29 ;  26  have 
been  discharged;  making  the  present  total  number 
165.  Of  these,  145  are  in  the  school  proper,  and  20 
in  the  workshop  for  adults. 

The  first  class  includes  129  boys  and  girls,  en- 
rolled as  pupils,  12  teachers  and  4  domestics.  Of 
the  pupils  there  are  now  108  in  attendance,  21 
being  temporarily  absent  on  account  of  illness  or 
from  various  other  causes. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  37 

The  second  class  comprises  16  men  and  4 
women,  employed  in  the  industrial  department  for 
adults. 

The  doors  of  the  school  have  thus  fai*  been  wide 
open  to  all  applicants  of  proper  age  and  mental 
qualifications.  This  will  undoubtedly  continue  to 
be  the  policy  of  the  institution  so  long  as  the  space 
at  our  command  enables  us  to  receive  the  yearly 
increasing  numbers  of  sightless  children  who  are 
sent  to  us  for  education  and  traininjr. 

The  health  of  the  household  has  continued  to 
be  remarkably  good.  'No  death  has  invaded  our 
circle,  nor  has  any  case  of  severe  disease  occurred 
at  the  institution.  This  exemption  from  mortality 
and  illness  during  a  season  which  has  been  noted 
for  its  unhealthiness,  demands  special  recognition 
and  grateful  mention. 

The  usual  course  of  study,  music,  physical  train- 
ing and  handicraft  work,  has  been  pursued  during 
the  past  year  with  uninterrupted  regularity  and 
excellent  results.  The  fruits  of  every  year's  work 
bring  renewed  confirmation  to  the  earnest  hopes 
of  those  who  are  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  the  institution,  and  although  all 
the  recipients  of  its  benefits  are  not  able  at  once  to 
provide  for  themselves,  they  are,  as  a  class,  elevated 
intellectually,  morally  and  socially^  and  become 
more  active  and  independent,  and  less  of  a  burden 
to  themselves  and  to  their  relations  and  friends. 


38  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Review  oe  tee  Yarious  Departments. 

A  brief  review  of  what  has  been  accomplished 
during  the  past  year  in  each  of  the  departments  ot 
the  institution  will  show  that  our  general  course 
of  instruction  and  training  has  been  so  improved 
as  to  give  definiteness  to  the  work  of  the  school 
and  to  secure  regular  and  permanent  results. 

Literary  Department. 

The  degree  of  success  which  has  attended  the 
operations  of  this  department  is  exceedingly  grati- 
fying, and  augurs  still  better  results  and  greater 
usefulness  in  the  future. 

The  course  of  study  has  been  regularly  and 
assiduously  pursued,  and  the  progress  made  by 
the  pupils  in  their  respective  studies  is  generally 
commendable. 

All  suggestions  of  improvements  in  the  proc- 
esses of  mental  development  and  discipline  have 
been  carefully  considered,  and  expedients  have 
often  been  devised  for  the  more  sure  and  rapid 
attainment  of  the  desired  results. 

Several  changes  m  the  administration  of  this 
important  department,  pointed  out  by  mature  ex- 
perience, have  been  made,  and  no  efforts  have  been 
spared  to  promote  its  efficiency,  invigorate  its 
organic  forces,  increase  its  educational  facilities, 
multiply  its  mechanical  appliances,  and  keep  its 
light  burning  steadily  and  brightly. 


1882.]         PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  39 

Instruction  in  most  of  the  common  branches  has 
been  freed  from  all  typical  oppressiveness,  and 
given  in  a  simple  and  natural  way.  Yarious  con- 
trivances have  at  times  been  resorted  to  as  a  relief 
from  monotony,  and  the  fog  of  dulness  has  been 
shut  out  from  the  atmosphere  of  the  school-room 
by  the  charm  of  novelty  and  the  warmth  of  ever 
fresh  and  unfailing  interest.  Whenever  the  objec- 
tive method  was  admissible  or  possible,  it  has  been 
unhesitatingly  adopted  and  put  into  practice  in 
preference  to  any  and  all  others. 

Reading  by  the  touch  has  been  taught  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  the  utmost  pains  have  been  taken 
with  the  intonation  of  the  voice  and  the  articulation 
of  the  throat.  The  fresh  and  valuable  books  re- 
cently embossed  in  our  printing  office  have  served 
as  a  powerful  impetus  in  this  direction,  and  created 
an  ardent  desire  among  the  blind  for  choice  litera- 
ture adapted  to  their  wants.  This  craving,  fos- 
tered and  strengthened  by  every  new  addition 
made  to  our  library,  has  already  exercised  a  salu- 
tary influence  upon  many  a  sightless  child  and 
youth,  inciting  them  to  a  more  frequent  use  of  their 
fingers,  and  a  desire  to  drill  and  train  them  more 
perseveringly  than  heretofore.  As  a  consequence, 
of  the  whole  number  of  pupils  in  attendance  at 
our  school  during  the  past  year,  there  were  only 
four  who  could  not  read  with  more  or  less  facility 
the  products  of  our  press.  Two  of  these,  owing 
either  to  mental  weakness  or  physical  incapacity, 


40  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

were  unable  to  decipher  the  letters  of  the  alphabet 
in  any  of  the  line  or  point  systems  of  printing. 
Of  the  remaining  two,  one  could  read  both  Moon's 
and  Braille's  characters,  while  the  other  was  only 
able  to  make  out  with  great  difficulty  a  few  sen- 
tences in  Moon's  publications. 

Thoroughness  has  continued  to  be  the  leading 
principle  in  whatever  the  pupils  have  undertaken 
to  do.  Every  particular  of  their  work  has  received 
due  attention,  and  nothing  has  been  slighted  or 
neglected  on  account  of  its  being  insignificant 
from  a  material  point  of  view.  The  reason  for  this 
insistance  is  very  obvious.  In  the  light  of  educa- 
tion details  or  objects  which  may  at  first  sight 
appear  comparatively  valueless,  are  really  of  the 
greatest  practical  importance,  not  so  much  for  the 
amount  of  information  which  they  yield,  as  because 
of  the  development  which  they  compel.  The 
mastery  of  certain  subjects  in  all  their  minutiae 
evokes  efi'ort  and  cultivates  powei's  of  application, 
which  otherwise  might  have  lain  dormant.  Thus 
one  thing  leads  to  another,  and  so  the  work 
goes  on  through  life.  But  indulging  in  discour- 
agement has  never  helped  any  one  over  a  difficulty, 
and  never  will.  D'Alembert's  advice  to  the  student 
who  complained  to  him  of  his  want  of  success  in 
mastering  the  elements  of  mathematics  was  the 
right  one.  "  Go  on,  sir,  and  faith  and  strength 
will  come  to  you." 

At  the  reopening  of  the  school,  after  the  sum- 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  41 

mer  vacation,  both  teachers  and  pupils  have 
promptly  returned  to  their  work,  and  resumed  their 
respective  duties  with  fresh  zest  and  new  sense  of 
power.  There  is  a  feehng  of  activity  and  vigor  in 
the  air,  and  they  all  seem  to  be  animated  by  an 
earnest  desire  to  profit  by  the  boundless  possibil- 
ities of  a  promising  year  which  stretch  before  them. 

Music  Department. 

This  department  has  been  conducted  upon  the 
same  general  plan  as  in  previous  years.  K^o 
changes  cither  in  organization  or  in  management 
have  been  attempted,  and  no  new  theories  have 
been  adopted.  Improvements,  however,  in  the 
processes  of  instruction  and  the  details  of  adminis- 
tration have  been  made  from  time  to  time,  and 
warrant  a  feeling  of  great  satisfaction. 

The  number  of  pupils  in  the  music  department 
during  the  past  year  was  73.  Of  these,  68  received 
instruction  in  the  piano,  47  in  class  singing,  17  in 
private  vocal  training,  21  in  harmony,  10  in  the 
cabinet  and  church  organ,  and  21  in  reed  and  bi'ass 
instruments. 

There  were  four  normal  classes  w4th  an  average 
membership  of  five  each  for  instruction  in  the  art 
of  teaching. 

The  Braille  system  of  musical  notation  has  been 
used  by  the  pupils,  as  heretofore  during  the  last 
eight  or  nine  years,  in  copying  portions  of  text- 
books for  the  piano,  harmony  and  counterpoint,  for 


42  IXSTITUTIOX  FOR  THE  BLIXD.        [Oct. 

permanent  use.  It  has  also  been  used  for  band 
music. 

The  practical  utility  and  thoroughness  of  the 
course  of  instruction  pursued  in  our  music  depart- 
ment may  be  illustrated  by  the  experience  of  a 
young  man,  who  was  a  graduate  from  another 
school  and  came  here  at  the  close  of  his  course  for 
a  single  year  only.  After  leaving  his  alma  mater, 
he  obtained  some  pupils  on  the  pianoforte,  and, 
although  he  was  a  good  player,  he  neither  knew 
how  or  what  to  teach  them,  not  having  committed 
any  instruction  book  or  books  of  etudes  for  this 
instrument  to  memory.  His  collection  of  i^ieces 
was  small  and  not  sufSciently  varied.  After  spend- 
ing nine  months  here,  these  defects  were  remedied, 
and  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Buffalo,  IS^.  Y.,  and 
again  obtained  pupils,  but  this  time  he  knew  how 
to  teach  them.  It  is  just  a  year  since  he  left  us, 
and  during  all  this  time  he  has  had  plenty  to  do. 
He  is  the  organist  of  a  Roman  catholic  church, 
has  twenty-three  scholars  on  the  pianoforte,  and 
one  on  the  violin.  His  success  is  complete  in 
every  respect. 

Yiolin  playing  is  the  only  important  branch  of 
music  absent  from  our  course.  This  instrument 
is  unquestionably  the  most  favorite  one  at  the 
present  time.  Judged  by  its  wide  popularity,  it 
reigns  supreme  over  all  others.  It  charms  and 
delights  alike  the  3^oung  and  the  old,  the  wise  and 
the  unlearned,  the  student  and  the  man  of  affairs. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  43 

the  sedate  and  the  gay.  The  brilliancy  and  intrinsic 
sweetness  of  its  sound  infuse  a  sense  of  liveliness 
and  create  a  feeling  of  joy  and  happiness  which 
are  unequalled.  While  the  range  of  its  organic 
resources  and  the  compass  of  its  hamionic  com- 
binations and  rhythmic  successions  are  neither  as 
extensive  nor  as  comprehensive  as  those  of  the 
organ  and  the  pianoforte,  its  melodious  effects,  its 
power  and  nobleness  of  expression,  its  suppleness 
of  tone  are,  on  the  other  hand,  superior  to  those 
of  any  other  instrument,  ^o  school  of  music  can, 
in  our  days,  be  considered  as  complete  without  the 
study  of  the  violin.  The  seriousness  of  the  objec- 
tions which  were  cogent  in  the  early  part  of  the 
history  of  the  institution  and  caused  its  discontin- 
uance is  invalidated,  or  at  least  greatly  modified, 
by  the  present  intellectual,  moral  and  social  status 
of  the  blind;  and  I  earnestly  recommend  that  pro- 
vision should  be  made  for' its  speedy  introduction 
into  both  branches  of  the  music  department. 

Extensive  as  are  the  facilities  afforded  at  the 
institution  itself  for  thorough  instruction  and  prac- 
tice, and  great  as  are  the  actual  benefits  accruing 
from  them,  their  value  is  vastly  enhanced  by  the 
rare  external  opportunities  for  the  cultivation  and 
refinement  of  the  artistic  taste,  which  are  freely 
ofi'ered  to  those  of  our  scholars  who  are  gifted  with 
natural  ability  for  the  study  of  music. 

Through  the  great  kindness  and  generosity  of 
the   leading  musical    societies  of  Boston,   of  the 


44  IXSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

proprietors  of  theatres,  the  managers  of  public 
entertainments,  and  also  of  the  most  eminent  musi- 
cians in  the  city, —  the  names  bf  all  of  Avhom  will 
be  given  elsewhere, —  our  pupils  have  continued  to 
be  permitted  to  attend  the  finest  concerts,  rehear- 
sals, operas,  oratorios  and  recitals,  and  to  hear  the 
compositions  of  the  greater  and  lesser  masters 
interj)reted  by  distinguished  individual  artists  or 
well  drilled  orchestras.  I  avail  myself  of  this 
opportunity  to  express  in  the  name  of  the  school, 
to  each  and  all  of  them,  our  warm  thanks  and 
grateful  acknowledgments,  and  to  join  the  public 
at  large  in  the  hearty  wish  for  their  future  success 
and  i^rosperity. 

But  the  discharge  of  this  pleasant  duty  is,  I  am 
grieved  to  say,  blended  with  a  feeling  of  sincere 
regret  and  disappointment,  caused  by  the  announce- 
ment that  the  concerts  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent of  these  organizations,  the  Harvard  musical 
association,  will  be  heard  no  longer.  This  society 
has  been  a  constant  friend,  an  eiEcient  educator 
and  a  great  benefactor  to  the  blind  of  I^ew^  Eng- 
land. For  sixteen  j^ears  it  has  opened  its  doors  to 
them  with  unparalleled  liberality,  and  freely  ex- 
tended to  them  abundant  opportunities  for  hear- 
ing the  best  performances  of  the  chefs  d'ceuvre  of 
classic  music,  thereby  contributing  largely  to  the 
full  develojjment  of  their  artistic  sensibilities,  criti- 
cal acumen  and  general  musical  culture.  These 
uncommon  advantages  w^ere  so  highly  valued  and 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27.  45 

fully  appreciated  by  our  pupils,  that  their  loss  is 
keenly  felt  and  deeply  regretted  by  all  of  them. 

Let  us  hope  and  trust  that  the  noble  example  of 
the  Harvard  musical  association  will  be  followed 
by  others,  and  that  the  cause  of  the  education  of 
the  blind  will  not  cease  to  be  remembered  by  those 
who  have  it  in  their  power  to  befriend  and 
advance  it. 

TuN^iNG  Department. 

This  department  has  received  its  wonted  share 
of  attention  and  shows  results  quite  as  encourag- 
ing as  those  of  former  years. 

As  the  circle  of  possible  pursuits  and  remunera- 
tive employments  for  the  blind  becomes  more  and 
more  restricted  by  the  invention  and  use  of  machin- 
ery in  all  manufacturing  processes,  by  the  division 
of  labor  and  by  the  enormous  development  of 
absorbing  monopolies,  it  is  more  urgent  that  the 
most  perfect  provision  should  be  made  for  those  in 
which  they  can  excel.  Expeiience  has  proved  that 
the  art  of  tuning  pianofortes  is  the  most  prominent 
among  them,  and  no  institution  for  the  blind  can 
aftbrd  to  neglect  or  slight  it.  In  our  system  of 
training  the  pupils  for  useful  occupations  it  holds 
a  very  important  position. 

During  the  past  year  several  improvements  have 
been  made  in  the  appliances  employed  in  the  tun- 
ing department,  and  new  facilities  have  been  added 
for  carrying  on  its  operations  successfully,  and  ren- 


46  INSTITUTIOX   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

dering  the  instruction  and  practice  of  the  recipi- 
ents of  its  bene^ts  thorough  and  efficient. 

The  contract  for  tuning  and  keeping  in  repair 
the  pianofortes  of  the  pubHc  schools  of  Boston  has 
again,  for  the  sixth  time,  been  awarded  to  the  tun- 
ing department  of  this  institution,  on  the  same 
terms  as  heretofore,  and  without  the  least  opposi- 
tion from  any  direction.  This  unanimous  and 
prompt  action  of  the  committee,  together  with  the 
steady  increase  of  patronage  which  has  been  ex- 
tended to  our  tuners  by  some  of  the  very  best 
families  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns,  is 
very  gratifying  to  them,  and  speaks  more  elo- 
quently for  their  skill  and  efficiency  than  words 
can  do.  Moreover,  it  constitutes  in  itself  a  com- 
plete answer  and  consummate  refutation  to  the 
base  aspersions,  sneering  insinuations  and  un- 
friendly remarks,  which  are  now  and  then,  either 
thoughtlessly  or  designedly,  directed  against  the 
abilities  of  the  blind. 

The  most  contemptible  criticism  of  this  kind 
appeared  last  July  in  the  editorial  columns  of  the 
"Musical  Critic  and  Trade  Review"  of  ^ew 
York.  The  writer  of  this  curious  paragraph  asserts 
that,  having  watched  the  method  of  a  blind  tuner, 
he  saw  that  "  he  had  no  conception  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  proper  tuning."  He  says :  "  His  musical 
ear  was  true,  but  he  did  not  understand  the  me- 
chanical construction  of  the  piano,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  he  succeeded  in  ruining  the  instrument. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  47 

Some  persons  may  be  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  char- 
ity in  engaging  a  blind  man  for  the  purpose  of 
tuning  their  pianos,  but  they  could  better  affoid 
to  pay  the  unfortunate  man  a  few  dollars  to  keep 
him  from  touching  the  piano,  and  at  the  same  time 
make  money  by  the  operation,  as  the  damage 
usually  done  is  equal  to  twenty  times  the  cost  of 
tuning." 

This  statement  is  as  reckless  and  untrue  as  it  is 
cruel  and  unjust  to  a  large  class  of  our  fellow  men, 
who  are  striving  determinedly  to  reach  the  goal  of 
independence  and  grapple  resolutely  with  the  for- 
midable difficulties  opposing  their  advancement  to 
the  dignity  of  self-maintenance.  It  misrepresents 
the  nature  of  their  work,  gives  false  impressions 
of  the  thoroughness  of  their  training,  undervalues 
their  capacities,  and  adds  a  vast  amount  of 
anguish  to  their  sore  calamity.  Conceived  in  su- 
preme selfishness  and  mean  jealousy,  if  not  in  des- 
picable malice,  and  couched  in  terms  of  hypocrisy 
and  pretence,  it  is  calculated  to  strengthen  the 
common  prejudices  against  sightless  tuners,  create 
mistrust  in  their  endeavors,  deprive  them  of  their 
share  in  the  public  patronage,  and  thus  condemn 
them  to  the  evils  of  idleness  and  the  mercy  of 
charity. 

Now  the  facts  of  the  case  are  simply  these.  In 
consequence  of  their  infirmity  the  blind  begin 
early  to  concentrate  their  attention  upon  the  im- 
pressions received  through  the  auditory  organs. 


48  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

They  constantly  employ  the  ear  for  various  pur- 
poses for  which  seeing  persons  use  their  eyes, 
and  they  let  it  rest  only  when  they  are  asleep. 
While  in  school,  they  live  and  move  in  an  atmos- 
phere which  resounds  with  musical  tones.  By 
this  incessant  exercise  their  sense  of  hearing  is  so 
improved,  and  acquires  such  an  acuteness  and 
nicety,  that  the  relations  of  sounds,  and  the  imper- 
fections of  unisons  and  intervals,  imperceptible  to 
ordinary  listeners,  are  apparent  to  them.  This 
powder  and  accuracy  of  the  musical  ear  of  our 
pupils  is  coupled  and  sustained  by  a  practical  and 
systematic  knowledge  of  the  construction  of  the 
pianoforte  and  its  internal  mechanism  which  they 
acquire  in  the  tuning  department  of  this  institu- 
tion. Here,  aided  by  the  use  of  models  and  the 
dissection  of  old  instruments,  they  study  wath 
great  care  and  under  efficient  guidance  the  differ- 
ences in  the  structure  of  the  various  kinds  of 
actions,  learn  the  details  of  their  workings,  and 
become  familiar  with  the  form,  size  and  relations 
of  every  part,  the  materials  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed, and  the  office  it  performs.  In  addition  to 
this,  special  attention  is  paid  to  that  branch  of 
physics  which  treats  of  the  nature  of  sound  and 
the  laws  of  its  production  and  propagation.  Thus, 
all  things  being  considered,  our  tuners  are  far 
better  prepared  in  theory  as  well  as  in  jDractice  for 
the  successful  pursuit  of  their  art  than  the  great 
majority    of  their    seeing    competitors,   and    have 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  49 

positive  advantages  over  them,  both  in  their  nat- 
ural aptitudes  and  in  their  acquired  qualifications. 

This  assertion  does  not  rest  upon  mere  s])ecu- 
lation  or  a  'priori  reasoning.  It  is  based  upon 
undisputed  facts  which,  warranted  by  history  and 
confirmed  by  daily  experience,  ought  to  dispel  all 
reasonable  doubts  as  to  the  competency  and  success 
of  the  blind  as  tuners  of  pianofortes.  Some  of 
these  are  herewith  given  in  the  briefest  possible 
manner. 

1.  Claud  Montal,  a  graduate  of  the  school  for 
the  young  blind  in  Paris,  has  been  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  tuners  in  that  city,  and  he  not  only 
made  improvements  in  his  art  but  contributed 
more  than  any  other  individual  to  its  present  per- 
fection. His  treatise  on  the  subject  is  still  a  work 
of  unsurpassed  merit.  His  knowledge  of  the 
mechanism  and  construction  of  pianofortes  was  so 
thorough  and  extensive  that  he  became  the  head 
of  one  of  the  leading  and  most  prosperous  facto- 
ries of  these  instruments.  His  talents  were  gen- 
erally recognized  and  fully  appreciated  by  eminent 
artists  everywhere.  He  was  the  author  of  several 
inventions;  but  the  most  valuable  of  these  was 
that  concerning  the  pedals.  He  exhibited  in  Lon- 
don in  1862  a  '•^  iitdale  d'' expression^''  diminishing 
the  range  of  the  hammers  instead  of  shifting  them, 
an  expedient  now  employed  by  Amei'ican  and 
German  makers,  and  a  '•' pedale  de  prolongement^^ 
by  using  which  a  note  or  notes  may  be  prolonged 


50  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

after  the  fingers  have  quitted  the  keys.  Mental's 
genius  has  planted  the  art  of  tuning  pianofortes  so 
firmly  in  the  curriculum  of  his  alma  mater,  that 
about  one-third  of  the  graduates  of  that  school 
continue  to  become  skilled  in  it  and  to  earn  their 
living  by  its  practice  in  the  capital  and  provinces 
of  France. 

2.  Messrs.  Steinway  &  Sons  of  New  York  have 
for  a  long  time  employed  a  blind  man,  named 
Arnim  Shotte,  as  head  tuner  of  their  celebrated 
establishment,  and  in  reply  to  a  letter  which  I 
addressed  to  them,  asking  for  information  with 
regard  to  his  success,  they  speak  as  follows :  "  Mr. 
Shotte's  tuning  is  simply  perfect,  not  only  for  its 
purity,  but  for  his  skill  of  so  setting  the  tuning 
pins  that  the  piano  can  endure  the  largest  amount 
of  heavy  playing  without  being  put  out  of  tune." 
AVith  this  opinion  coincides  that  of  Messrs.  Wm. 
Bourne  &  Son  of  Boston,  who  have  employed  one 
of  the  graduates  of  this  institution,  Mr.  Joseph 
H.  Wood,  as  principal  tuner  for  nineteen  years, 
and  write :  "  It  gives  us  the  greatest  pleasure  to 
testify  to  the  efiicient  and  excellent  service  ren- 
dered by  him  to  our  establishment,  and  to  say  that 
his  able  and  skilful  workmanship  has  always  been 
much  prized  by  us."  Other  factories  and  dealers 
of  pianofortes  in  Boston,  Providence,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  elscAvhere  have  availed  themselves  of  the 
services  of  sightless  tuners,  and  they  all  bear  tes- 
timony to  the  uniform  success  of  their  work. 
i 


1882.]         PUBLIC  DOCUMENT— No.  27.  51 

3.  The  tuners  of  this  institution  have  for  six 
years  taken  charge  of  the  pianofortes  used  in  the 
public  schools  of  Boston  —  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  in  number.  Their  tuning,  and  the  lesser  repairs 
which  they  themselves  do,  have  received  unqualified 
commendation  and  cordial  approbation  from  both 
the  music  teachers  and  the  proper  authorities,  and 
never  to  my  knowledge  has  a  word  of  dissatisfac- 
tion been  breathed,  or  any  complaint  made  of  the 
slightest  injury  to  any  of  the  instruments. 

4.  A  number  of  prominent  musicians,  teachers 
and  critics  in  this  city,  such  as  Messrs.  Carl  Zer- 
rahn,  B.  J.  Lang,  W.  H.  Sherwood,  Julius  Eich- 
berg,  John  S.  Dwight,  J.  B.  Sharland,  H.  E.  Holt, 
J.  W.  Mason,  the  late  Robert  B.  Apthorp,  and 
many  others,  after  a  patient  and  conscientious  trial 
of  our  tuners,  have  declared  themselves  "  perfectly 
satisfied  with  their  work,"  have  characterized  it  as 
"  equal  to  the  best,"  and  some  of  them  have  earn- 
estly recommended  the  services  of  the  blind  to 
their  pupils  and  friends,  and  have  obtained  orders 
for  them.  The  most  emphatic  of  the  testimonials 
cheerfully  given  to  them  was  that  of  Mr.  Sher- 
wood, in  which  he  says :  "  My  grand  piano  was 
recently  tuned  and  regulated  by  tuners  from  the 
institution  for  the  blind.  They  put  it  in  better 
repair  and  condition  (in  both  action,  hammer-felts 
and  perfect  tune)  than  it  has  been  for  a  long  time 
past.  I  cordially  endorse  their  abilities  in  this  line 
as  apparently  unsurpassed." 


52  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.       [Oct. 

The  chain  of  these  tesdmonials  and  historic  facts 
could  be  greatly  lengthened  by  the  addition  of 
many  others  of  a  similar  nature;  but  the  above- 
mentioned  will  suffice  to  prove  the  correctness  of 
my  assertions,  and  to  show  that  the  blind  are 
remarkably  successful  as  tuners  of  pianofortes,  and 
that  the  slurs  cast  upon  their  work  by  unprincipled 
critics  and  heartless  traducers  are  unmerited  and 
unjustifiable.  That  now  and  then  there  may  be 
found  one  of  their  number  who  is  not  an  expert  in  the 
art  which  he  professes  to  pursue,  and  who  may  do 
harm  to  an  instrument  entrusted  to  his  care,  no  one 
can  reasonably  deny.  But  is  it  fair,  is  it  honorable, 
is  it  humane  to  condemn  a  whole  class  of  indus- 
trious and  meritorious  people  by  the  misconduct  of 
a  few,  to  exclude  them  on  that  ground  from  the 
active  occupations  of  life  and  assign  them  arbi- 
trarily to  the  unmitigated  miseries  of  the  alms- 
house, from  which  they  have  been  delivered  through 
the  indefatigable  toil  and  sagacious  efforts  of 
eminent  reformers  and  distinguished  philanthro- 
pists? Are  the  instigators  of  the  paragraph  pub- 
lished in  the  "  Musical  Critic  and  Trade  Review  " 
prepared  to  stamp  as  perfect  or  "  well  done  "  the 
work  of  the  legions  of  seeing  persons  who  syarm 
the  country  heralded  by  flaming  advertisements  and 
circulars  as  first-class  tuners,  but  who  are  both  by 
taste  and  training  more  competent  to  split  wood  or 
till  the  soil  than  to  handle  and  regulate  musical 
instruments?     Yet  it  would  be  simply  absurd  to 


1882.]  PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— No.  27.  53 

use  their  failings  and  misdeeds  as  a  weapon  against 
a  whole  class  of  artisans,  amongst  whom  there 
are  many  of  acknowledged  skill  and  dexterity. 

In  closing  these  remarks,  which  duty  and  the 
sense  of  justice  compel  me  to  write  in  defence  of 
the  assailed  rights  and  misjudged  abilities  of  the 
blind,  I  beg  leave  to  state  that  the  work  of  all  the 
graduates  from  the  tuning  department  of  this 
institution  who  are  supplied  with  certificates  is 
warranted  to  be  thorough  in  every  respect;  and  I 
herewith  appeal  to  the  public  to  continue  to  favor 
them  with  employment  on  the  solid  basis  of  busi- 
ness and  not  on  that  of  charity. 

Technical  Department. 
A  brief  review  of  the  work  accomplished  in  the 
two  branches  of  the  technical  department  will  show 
that  its  affairs  have  been  managed  with  commend- 
able diligence  and  with  satisfactory  results. 

$  T.      Workshop  for  the  Boys. 

Under  the  faithful  care  and  general  supervision 
of  Mr.  John  H.  Wright,  our  boys  have  been  reg- 
ularly employed  in  this  shop  in  working  at  the 
usual  trades,  and  have  acquired  more  or  less  skill 
in  their  pursuance. 

The  mode  of  instruction  has  been  very  simple 
and  eminently  practical,  and  its  chief  object  has 
been  to  enable  the  pupils  to  use  their  hands  with 
dexterity,  to  exercise  their  faculties  upon  things 


54  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.       [Oct. 

tangible  and  actual,  to  manipulate  materials,  and 
to  learn  how  to  construct  various  articles.  The 
valuable  effects  of  this  training  are  manifest  not 
only  in  the  exactness  or  fitness  with  which  mat- 
tresses, or  brooms,  or  cane  seats,  or  other  special 
articles  are  prepared  for  the  market,  but  in  the 
development  of  the  powers  and  increase  of  the 
capacities  of  the  apprentices  for  the  transaction  of 
business  and  for  general  usefulness. 

II.      WorJc-rooms  for  the  Girls. 

Of  the  condition  and  prospects  of  this  branch 
of  our  technical  department  I  am  able  to  give  a 
most  favorable  account. 

Under  the  eflScient  management  of  Miss  Abbj  J. 
Dillingham,  the  work-rooms  for  the  girls  have  con- 
tinued to  be  bee-hives  of  industry,  and  the  articles 
there  manufactured  have  been  most  creditable  both 
to  teachers  and  learners,  and  found  so  ready  a  sale 
that  only  a  few  specimens  could  be  seen  in  our  t 
cases  at  any  one  time. 

The  training  which  the  girls  receive  in  the  work- 
rooms, added  to  the  experience  Avhich  they  obtain  in 
domestic  employments,  is  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
them.  It  enables  them  to  engage  in  various  occu- 
pations adapted  to  their  sex,  and  to  become  helpful 
members  of  their  families. 

Department  of  Physical  Training. 

The  23upils,  divided  as  usual  into  six  classes  of 
moderate  size,  have  repaired  to  the  gymnasium  at 


1882. J         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  55 

stated  hours,  and  have  been  regularly  instructed 
and  trained  in  those  graduated  trials  of  strength, 
activity  and  adroitness  by  which  the  size  and 
power  of  the  muscles  are  fully  developed,  the  vital 
processes  of  respiration,  digestion  and  circulation 
are  promoted,  the  general  health  and  agility  in 
motion  improved,  and  the  whole  frame  is  invigor- 
ated and  prepared  for  sustaining  prolonged  and 
sudden  efforts. 

The  exercises  comprised  in  our  course  of  physi- 
cal training  have  been  selected  with  a  view  to  their 
suitableness  to  the  capacity  of  learners  of  different 
ages  and  of  every  grade  of  bodily  strength,  and 
have  been  arranged  in  a  progressive  and  systematic 
manner,  each  step  leading  to  that  directly  in 
advance  of  it.  They  have  been  invariably  con- 
ducted by  experienced  and  prudent  teachers,  who 
allow  no  attempts  of  extraordinary  or  exaggerated 
feats  that  might  cause  accidents,  and  their  effect 
upon  the  appearance,  health,  and  strength  of  the 
pupils  has  been  quite  remarkable. 

The  Printing  Fund. 
It  was  a  source  of  no  small  gratification  to  have 
been  able  to  announce  at  the  celebration  of  the 
semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  institution,  that 
the  total  amount  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
for  the  permanent  endowment  of  the  "  Howe 
Memorial  Press"  had  been  contributed.  The 
generosity  and  benevolence    of  our  citizens  were 


56  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.       [Oct. 

never  more  signally  manifested  than  in  the  comple- 
tion of  this  enterprise,  which  will  stand  in  per- 
petuity, like  a  beautiful  fountain,  breathing  forth 
comfort  and  life-giving  power. 

About  a  year  ago,  while  rendering  a  brief  account 
of  the  progress  made  in  raising  the  printing  fund, 
we  stated  that  the  sum  requisite  was  still  incom- 
plete, and  urgently  asked  for  further  subscriptions. 
Our  appeal  met  with  a  prompt  and  hearty  response. 
The  names  of  new  contributors  were  almost  daily 
added  to  our  list,  and  some  of  the  noblest  families 
and  constant  benefactors  of  the  blind,  whose 
modesty  screens  them  from  the  public  ken,  sent  us 
the  glad  and  refreshing  order  to  double  their  origi- 
nal donations  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  in 
several  instances  to  multiply  them  b}^  five.  Such 
a  grand  use  of  the  rules  of  arithmetic  for  the 
benefit  of  suffering  humanity  is  not  a  common 
occurrence.  It  is,  indeed,  a  rare  phenomenon. 
N^or  is  it  the  practice  of  men  of  ordinary  mental 
and  moral  calibre,  who  come  into  the  possession  of 
riches  by  a  mere  stroke  of  luck  or  accident,  and 
whose  charitable  gifts  are  either  exceedingly 
slender  in  size  or  capricious  and  showy  in  character. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  great  souls  and  hearts  full  of 
sympathy  and  good-will.  It  is  the  ripe  fruit  of 
pure  unselfishness  and  benign  philanthropy. 

The  completion  of  the  printing  fund  is  an  act  of 
public-spirited  beneficence  which,  we  believe,  has 
no  parallel   in   history,   and   reflects   the  greatest 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  57 

honor  on  the  munificent  hberality  of  the  donors 
and  the  organic  fabric  of  the  community  in  which 
such  enterprises  are  accomphshed.  The  books 
which  will  be  annually  issued  will  prove  not  only 
valuable  treasures  of  enlightenment  and  wisdom, 
but  a  perennial  source  of  consolation  under  an 
affliction  which  closes  upon  its  victims  the  delights 
and  charms  of  the  visible  world.  They  will  gladden 
many  a  saddened  heart,  raise  many  a  drooping 
spirit,  and  comfort  many  a  joyless  dwelling.  Like 
balm  and  anodyne,  they  will  assuage  the  pangs  of 
calamity  and  misfortune.  For  good  literature  is 
one  of  the  best  remedies  to  a  sorrowing  soul. 
Pliny  says  : 

"  At  unicum  doloris  levamentum  studia  confugio  ;  " 

and  Montesquieu  declared  that  no  grief  is  so  deep 
as  not  to  be  dissipated  by  reading  for  an  hour  : 

"  Je  ii'ai  jamais  eu  de  chagrin  si  profond  qu'une  heure  de 
lecture  ue  Fait  dissipe." 

In  the  case  of  the  blind  this  remedy  acts  with 
tenfold  force.  The  shadowed  outward  vision 
causes  the  hght  within  to  burn  more  brightly,  as 
the  window-curtains  drawn  at  dark  increase  the 
glow  of  the  fire  and  intensify  the  cheerfulness 
inside  the  room. 

To  a  generous  and  enlightened  public,  and  to 
the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  leading  news- 
papers we  are  under  great  and  lasting  obligations 
for  the  active  aid  and  cooperation  readily  given 


58  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

to  our  earnest  efforts  to  .bring  the  enterprise  of 
embossing  books  to  its  consummation.  Encouraged 
by  the  success  thus  attained,  we  are  determined  to 
prosecute  this  grand  object  with  all  our  energies, 
until  every  sightless  person  who  can  read  with  the 
tips  of  his  fingers  is  provided  with  a  sufficient 
supply  of  choice  and  healthy  literature. 

Absolute  ^eed  of  a  Kindekgakten. 

Eloquent  the  children's  faces  — 
Poverty's  lean  look,  which  saith, 

Save  us  !  save  us  !  woe  surrounds  us  ; 

Little  knowledge  sore  confounds  us  ; 
Life  is  but  a  lingering  death. 

Give  us  light  amid  our  darkness  ; 

Let  us  know  the  good  from  ill : 
Hate  us  not  for  all  our  blindness  : 
Love  us,  lead  us,  show  us  kindness, 

You  can  make  us  what  3'ou  will. 

"We  are  willing  ;  we  are  ready  ; 

We  would  learn  if  you  would  teach  ; 
"We  have  hearts  that  3'earn  towards  duty  ; 
"We  have  minds  alive  to  beauty  ; 

Souls  that  an}'  heights  can  reach. 

Mary  Howii  r. 

These  lines  give  a  striking  picture  of  the  condi- 
tion of  a  large  number  of  little  blind  children  who 
are  scattered  in  all  parts  of  New  England,  living 
in  total  physical  darkness  and  indescribable  desti- 
tution. They  set  forth  clearly  and  concisely  their 
wants  and  caj^abilities,   and  joresent  in  plain  and 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


59 


simple  words   a  pathetic   and  resistless  appeal  in 
their  behalf. 

Like  other  human  beings,  these  afflicted  children 
of  night  are  endowed  with  faculties  and  capacities 
susceptible  of  development,  growth  and  improve- 
ment, but,  unlike  most  of  them,  they  are  considered 
as  hopelessly  disabled  by  their  infirmity,  and  are 
thoughtlessly  doomed  to  sloth  and  inertia.     Pale, 
nerveless,    haggard,    and    evidently    reduced    in 
vitality,  they  are  confined  to  wretched  lodgings, 
and  are  permitted  to  lead  a  distressing  existence. 
All  the  natural  pleasures  of  childhood  are  unknown 
to  them.     IS'ot  a  ray  of  joy  enters  the  dark  cham- 
ber of  their  isolation ;  not   a  breath   of  happiness 
lightens  the  heavy  pressure  of  the  clouds  of  their 
calamity.     They  are  usually  born  in  poverty,  and 
often  in   moral  depravity.      They  are  nursed  by 
sorrow,  surrounded  by  vice,  accompanied  by  mis- 
fortune, brought  up  in   neglect,  and  tortured  by 
inexpressible   misery.      They  live  in  a   world    of 
seclusion   and  suffering,  with  the  woes   of  which 
very  few  of  our  citizens  are  acquainted.     Hunger, 
filth,  fou  lair,  stifling  heat,  or  severe  cold  — these 
and  their  like  are  the  daily  attendants  and  constant 
companions  of  these  unfortunate  human  beings. 

But  it  is  beyond  doubt  that  the  souls  of  these 
children  have  in  them  something  of  that  cloud  of 
glory  of  which  the  poet  sings,  ^o  matter  how 
hideous  and  squalid  their  lives  may  be,  they  have 
susceptibilities  that  can  be  touched  by  kindness, 


60  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

beauty  and  goodness.  They  have  hearts  which  can 
be  reached  by  love  and  sympathy.  They  have  the 
germs  of  natural  aj^titudes  and  mental  abilities 
which  can  be  fostered  by  care  and  brought  to  fru- 
ition by  training. 

JSTow  the  salvation  and  future  welfare  of  these 
children  of  misfortune  depend  wholly  upon  their 
being  removed  from  the  poisonous  effects  of  their 
environment,  and  placed  in  neat  and  healthy  quar- 
ters, where  the  means  for  physical  well-being  and 
systematic  training  are  sufficiently  provided,  and 
the  sj^irit  of  good-will  and  benevolence  all  pervad- 
ing and  guiding,  and  where  faith  in  man's  capacity 
for  improvement  and  elevation  is  firmly  adhered  to, 
and  parental  care  and  affection  freely  bestowed. 
This  salutary  change  should  be  effected  before  cor- 
rupt tendencies  and  vicious  propensities  are  hard- 
ened and  crystallized  into  permanent  habits;  and 
the  tender  age  between  five  and  nine  years  seems 
most  appropriate  for  it.  Being  brought  so  early  in 
life  under  favorable  influences  and  a  regular  course 
of  bodily,  mental  and  moral  culture,  the  children 
will  prove  better  subjects  for  reformation  than  if 
taken  in  charge  later  on.  Good  principles  and 
aspirations  will  sink  more  deeply  into  their  minds 
while  these  are  still  in  a  plastic  state  and  compar- 
atively free  from  low  impressions  and  mean  encum- 
brances; and  when  sound  seed  is  sown  before  the 
tares  have  time  to  take  root,  the  probability  is  that 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  61 

the  harvest  will  be  more  abundant  and  of  a  purer 
and  better  quaJaty. 

For  the  accomplishment  of  this  noble  purpose, 
the  foundation  of  a  primary  school  for  little  blind 
children  is  imperatively  needed.  As  there  is 
neither  room  nor  conveniences  for  such  an  estab- 
lishment on  the  premises  of  this  institution,  and  as 
it  is,  moreover,  neither  advisable  nor  desirable  to 
have  its  tender  inmates  associated  and  brought  up 
together  with  youth  between  the  ages  of  fifteen 
and  nineteen  years,  it  should  be  placed  elsewhere 
wdthin  the  limits  of  the  city.  It  should  have  a 
pleasant  and  healthy  location,  and  occupy  a  lot  of 
land  comprising  five  acres  at  least.  It  should  be 
organized  on  sound  principles,  and  conducted  on  a 
broad  and  liberal  policy.  There  should  be  nothing 
about  either  its  title  or  arrangements  which  would 
in  any  way  compromise  its  educational  character. 
Its  existence  should  be  secured  by  an  endowment 
fund  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  its  doors  should  be  freely  opened  not  only 
to  such  indigent  blind  children  as  are  above 
described,  but  to  all  others  who  are  deprived  of 
the  visual  sense  and  may  be  desirous  of  entering 
the  school.  They  should  be  retained  until  the  age 
of  twelve,  and  taught  and  trained  objectively  ac- 
cording to  the  simple  and  rational  methods  devel- 
oped in  Froebel's  kindergarten. 

This  system  is  admirably  suited  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  little  blind  children,  containing,  as  it  does, 


62  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

within  itself,  that  principle  of  organic  life  mani- 
fested in  gradual  development,  anc^  the  power  of 
counteracting  the  undesirable  effects  produced  by 
the  loss  of  sight  and  by  weakening  and  degrading 
influences.  It  turns  innocent  play  to  useful 
account,  and  cultivates  happiness  on  the  fertile  soil 
of  industry.  By  the  felicitous  combination  of 
"  doing  with  knowing,"  the  intellectual  activity  is 
unconsciously  promoted  while  the  physical  strength 
is  steadily  increased.  In  the  simple  and  delicate 
crafts  of  folding,  weaving,  block-building,  sewing, 
embroidering  upon  cardboard,  modelling  in  clay, 
and  the  like,  a  grand  purpose  is  subserved,  that  of 
unfolding  the  various  powers  of  the  body  and 
mind  just  at  the  time  when  they  are  particularly 
capable  of  harmonious  growth,  eager  for  improve- 
ment and  most  pliable  in  every  respect. 

Of  the  numerous  beneficent  results  obtained 
from  the  above-named  occupations  and  from  simi- 
lar interesting  and  attractive  exercises,  the  fol- 
lowing are  the  most  noticeable:  Good  physical 
development;  muscular  strength  and  elasticity; 
habits  of  attention  and  order;  clearness  and  precis- 
ion in  thinking;  freedom  and  grace  of  movement; 
quickness  of  invention  and  fertility  of  imagination ; 
a  keen  sense  of  symmetry  and  harmou}^,  together 
with  love  of  construction  and  appreciation  of  utility ; 
great  mechanical  skill  in  the  use  of  the  hands,  and 
initiation  into  the  conventionalities  of  polite  society, 
in  their  demeanor  toward  each  other,  and  in  mat- 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  63 

ters    of    eating,    drinking    and    personal    cleanli- 
ness. 

The  average  intelligence  of  pupils  taught  in  the 
kindergarten  is  decidedly  superior  to  that  of  chil- 
dren who  enter  the  primary  schools  without  such 
training.  The  former  are  more  or  less  accustomed 
to  exert  themselves  in  the  search  for  information, 
and  prepared  to  derive  greater  benefit  from  instruc- 
tion and  mental  discipline  than  the  latter.  They 
generally  observe  accurately,  seize  ideas  rapidly 
and  definitely,  illustrate  readily,  work  independ- 
ently and  express  their  thoughts  with  correctness 
and  fluency.  To  persons  bereft  of  sight,  Froebel's 
system  promises  even  higher  results  than  these. 
It  afi'ords  them  unequalled  facilities  for  gaining  an 
adequate  conception  of  forms  of  various  kinds,  and 
rare  opportunities  for  the  practice  and  refinement 
of  their  remaining  senses,  especially  of  that  of 
touch,  which  is  their  chief  reliance  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  all  concrete  knowledge,  and  consequently 
the  most  important  factor  of  their  education. 
Above  all,  the  drill  obtained  through  its  exercises  so 
early  in  life  and  under  such  genial  influences,  will 
prove  a  valuable  auxiliary  for  future  achievements 
and  the  most  effective  agent  for  raising  the  stand- 
ard of  attainments  in  this  school.  For  a  great  part 
of  the  time  which  is  now  necessarily  spent  in  mere 
primary  routine  work  and  elementary  training,  can 
then  be  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  advanced  studies 
both  in  the  literary  and  musical  departments,  and 


64  INSTITUTION   FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

to  a  thorough  preparation  for  a  professional  or  other 
calling.  Thus  there  will  be  a  positive  and  most 
significant  gain  at  both  ends,  which  will  in  some 
measure  pave  the  way  for  the  solution  of  the  great 
problem  of  the  higher  education  for  the  blind  and 
their  thorough  equipment  for  the  struggle  of  exist- 
ence. 

It  is  obvious  fi'om  these  facts  and  from  a  careful 
consideration  of  the  matter,  that  a  well-fitted  and 
sufficiently  j^rovided  kindergarten  Avill  be  to  little 
sightless  children  what  the  light  of  the  sun  and 
the  dew  of  heaven  are  to  tender  plants,  —  a  source 
of  life  and  growth  and  strength,  a  flame  dispelling 
the  clouds  of  darkness,  a  fountain  of  happiness  and 
strength,  aiding  them  to  outsoar  the  shadows  of 
their  night.  It  will  be  a  psalm  of  their  deliverance 
from  the  clutches  of  misery,  a  hymn  to  the  dawn 
of  an  era  of  freedom  and  independence,  a  benedic- 
tion to  the  benevolence  of  our  age. 

In  behalf  of  these  afflicted  children,  who  from 
the  midst  of  the  wretchedness  and  neglect  in 
which  they  are  plunged,  stretch  their  helpless 
hands  towards  the  shore  and  call  for  a  life-boat, 
we  make  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  generous  and 
wealthy  members  of  our  community,  and  hope  that 
it  will  touch  a  responsive  chord  in  their  hearts. 
When  they  detei*mine  to  pronounce  the  grand  ver- 
dict and  say,  "  let  there  be  a  permanent  source  of 
light  and  happiness  for  little  blind  children,'-  there 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  G5 

will  be  no  intellectual  and  moral  darkness  for  them 
any  longer. 

Cicero  says,  that  men  resemble  the  gods  in  noth- 
ing so  much  as  in  doing  good  to  their  fellow 
creatures.  "  Homines  ad  deos  mdla  se  ^^ro29^?^s 
accedunt,  qiiam  salutem  liominibus  dando.''^  There 
may  possibly  be  some,  however,  who  are  dis- 
posed to  bestow  their  gifts  upon  works  of  an 
artistic  nature,  upon  the  cause  of  higher  or  pro- 
fessional education,  upon  the  furtherance  of  culture 
and  refinement,  but  not  inclined  to  aid  an  enter- 
prise which  is  calculated  to  seek  its  beneficiaries 
in  the  humblest  social  ranks  and  lighten  one  of  the 
greatest  human  calamities  of  half  its  weight.  If 
there  be  such  among  our  generous  citizens,  let  me 
remind  them  of  the  words  of  Richter:  "Very  beau- 
tiful is  the  eagle  when  he  floats  with  outstretched 
wings  aloft  in  the  clear  blue;  but  sublime  when  he 
plunges  down  through  the  tempests  to  his  eyrie  on 
the  chfl*,  where  his  unfledged  young  ones  dwell 
and  are  starvins"." 


o 


Occasions  of  Interest  during  the  Year. 

Though  a  little  shut  in  from  the  world,  our 
young  people  are  not  behindhand  in  echoing  the 
movements  which  characterize  the  day,  and  the 
celebration  of  anniversaries  and  other  occasions 
during  the  past  year  has  marked  this  tendency  to 
a  very  special  and  interesting  degree. 

The  first  of  these  festivals  was  held  "in  honor  of 


66  INSTITUTIOoSr   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

the  seventy-fourth  birthday  of  N^ew  England's 
favored  poet,  John  Green] eafWhittier,  on  the  17th 
of  December,  1881. 

Inspired  by  the  new  and  welcome  delight  of 
being  enabled  to  read  his  works  for  themselves 
unaided  by  any  one  save  their  own  printer,  the 
pupils  of  the  advanced  class  in  the  girls'  depart- 
ment conceived  the  idea  of  celebrating  both  the 
poet's  birthday  and  their  own  gratitude  by  appro- 
priate festal  exercises;  and  a  very  charming  and 
much  enjoyed  evening  was  the  result  of  this  happy 
thought.  Some  of  the  most  beautiful  of  Whittier's 
poems  were  read  with  much  spirit  and  feeling, 
their  tender  purity  and  pathetic  grace  being 
brought  out  in  high  relief.  Music  and  appropriate 
remarks  ensued  and  added  considerably  to  the 
liveliness  of  the  occasion.  The  following  exquisite 
letter  from  the  veteran  poet,  written  in  the  touch- 
ing vernacular  of  the  interesting  sect  of  Friends, 
was  received  by  one  of  our  teachers  who  had 
written  to  Mr.  Whittier,  informing  him  of  the  great 
pleasure  and  delight  which  her  pupils  experienced 
in  reading  his  works: 

Danvers,  Mass.,  Dec.  12th,  1881. 
To  Mary  C.  Moore  :— 

Dear  Friend, —  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  know  that  the 
pupils  in  th}'  class  at  the  institution  for  the  blind  have  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  them  to  read  some  of  my  writings,  and  thus  hold 
what  I  hope  will  prove  a  pleasaift  communion  with  me.  Ver^' 
glad  I  shall  be  if  the  pen-pictures  of  nature  and  homely  countr}' 
firesides,  which  I  have  tried  to  make,  are  understood  and  appre- 
ciated by  those  who  cannot  discern  them  by  natural  vision.     I 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  67 

shall  count  it  a  great  privilege  to  see  for  them,  or  rather  to  let 
them  see  through  my  eyes.  It  is  the  mind  after  all  that  really 
sees,  shapes  and  colors  all  things.  What  visions  of  beauty  and 
sublimit}'  passed  l^efore  the  inward  and  spiritual  light  of  blind 
Milton  and  deaf  Beethoven  ! 

I  have  an  esteemed  friend,  Morrison  Heady  of  Kentucky,  who 
is  deaf  and  blind  ;  .yet  under  these  circumstances  he  has  culti- 
vated his  mind  to  a  high  degree,  and  has  written  poems  of  great 
beaut}'  and  vivid  descriptions  of  scenes  which  have  been  wit- 
nessed only  b}'  the  "  light  within." 

I  thank  thee  for  thy  letter,  and  beg  of  thee  to  assure  thy 
students  that  I  am  deeply  interested  in  their  welfare  and  prog- 
ress, and  that  my  prayer  is  that  their  inward  and  spiritual  eyes 
ma}'  become  so  clear  that  they  can  well  dispense  with  the  out- 
ward and  material  ones. 

I  am  very  truly  thy  friend, 

John  G.  "Whittier. 

The  celebration  of  the  birthday  of  Longfellow, 
preceding,  as  it  did,  his  death  by  so  few  weeks, 
seemed  in  particular  a  very  beautiful  and,  as  it 
were,  almost  prophetic  feature  of  the  intellectual 
life  of  the  school. 

The  garlands,  the  flowers,  the  pictures  of  the 
great  poet  and  of  his  home,  were  probably  seen  in 
many  celebrations  of  the  occasion,  which  was  won- 
derfully and,  as  we  have  said,  prophetically  kept  all 
over  the  country.  But  perhaps  there  was  some- 
thing peculiarly  touching  in  this  outburst  of  grati- 
tude towards  Longfellow  from  the  hearts  of  the 
blind,  to  whom  the  difiiculty  of  reading  his  works, 
as  compared  with  the  ordinary  methods  of  publica- 
tion, rendered  them  infinitely  more  precious,  and 
who  welcomed  his  birthday  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  only  the  aflSicted  can  know. 


68  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIXD.        [Oct. 

Again,  the  singing  of  several  of  Longfellow's 
pieces  in  their  musical  and  well-tuned  voices,  was 
a  tribute  sui  generis  to  the  genius  of  the  day,  and 
the  pupils  entered  into  their  dialogue  on  his  birth- 
day with  an  ardor  which  showed  their  worship  of 
the  hero. 

Mr.  Longfellow  himself  was  interested  in  hearing 
of  the  histrionic  attempt,  which  had  been  made 
earlier  in  the  winter,  and  in  which  the  play  of 
"  Maurice,  the  Woodcutter,"  was  given  in  a  very 
lively  and  untrammelled  manner.  No  blind  person 
unexpectedly  entering  the  audience  on  that  occa- 
sion would  have  supposed  that  the  actors  before 
him  were  sightless.  Indeed,  he  would  have  imag- 
ined from  the  animation  of  their  speech  and  the 
promptness  of  their  actions,  that  he  himself  was 
the  only  person  in  the  room  who  could  not  see. 
The  pupils  had  been  well  drilled  in  the  entrances, 
exits,  and  other  practical  points  of  the  little  drama, 
and  their  interest  in  the  story  carried  them  wholly 
out  of  themselves,  so  that  awkwardness,  self-con- 
sciousness and  stage-fright  were  really  left  far 
behind. 

Passing  over  the  amusing  costume  party  got  up 
by  our  girls  in  the  gymnasium  of  the  institution, 
which  was  highly  enjoyed  and  a  great  success,  the 
memory  dwells  with  delight  and  with  lingering 
glance  upon  the  day  chosen  to  acknowledge  in  a 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  69 

suitable  manner  the  ceaseless  and  devoted  efforts 
of  Mr.  Samuel  G.  Snelling  in  behalf  of  the  blind. 
Mr.  Snelling  was  himself  totally  imaware  of  the 
festivity  intended  in  his  honor,  coming  out  on  the 
afternoon  appointed  with  a  party  of  friends  to  go 
over  the  institution.  As  was  natural  in  the  case  of 
distinguished  visitors,  the  pupils  were  assembled  en 
masse  in  the  hall,  ready  with  their  beautiful  music, 
with  recitations  and  with  reading.  Gradually  it 
appeared  that  all  the  transactions  centered  toward 
one  object;  and  the  demonstration  becoming  more 
pointed,  a  climax  was  reached  when  a  crayon  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Snelling  was  unveiled,  to  w^hich  the 
following  inscription  was  attached:  "This  portrait 
of  Mr.  Samuel  G.  Snelling  was  made  at  the  expense 
of  the  pupils  and  teachers  of  the  Perkins  Institu- 
tion and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  as  a 
slight  token  of  their  great  and  deep  gratitude  for 
his  persistent  exertions  and  laborious  efforts  in 
raising  the  printing  fund  for  the  blind  of  New 
England."  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe  made  one  of 
her  happiest  speeches  on  the  occasion,  closing  with 
the  following  appropriate  verse: 

"  These  friends  who  in  the  shadows  sit, 
Your  kindly  face  cannot  behold, 
But  3-our  soul  features  in  their  hearts    - 
Thej^  '11  keep  enshrined  in  memory's  gold." 

Two   crowns    of  roses    were   presented  to   Mr. 
Snelling  by  a  little  boy  and  girl,  on  behalf  of  both 


70  mSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

departments  of  the  school,  and  were  gracefully 
acknowledged  by  him  in  a  few  well-chosen  words. 

Kemarks  by  Mr.  John  S.  Dwight,  and  music  by 
the  celebrated  pianist,  Mr.  Baerman,  added  greatly 
to  the  delightfulness  of  the  occasion.  The  guests 
then  visited  the  schools,  and  those  who  were  able 
to  stay  later  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  a 
recital  by  the  eminent  vocalist,  Mrs.  Clara  Doria 
Kogers,  and  in  the  evening  to  a  concert  of  much 
merit,  given  by  Mr.  S.  B.  Whitney,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Mrs.  Topliffe  and  other  well-known  musi- 
cians. 

Thus  the  day  was  made  thrice  happy  and  trebly 
noteworthy,  and  as  such  it  will  be  remembered 
by  all  who  had  the  great  pleasure  of  being  present. 

Closing  with  the  celebration  of  the  semi-centen- 
nial anniversary,  the  past  school  year  has  certainly 
been  a  memorable  one.  Yet,  after  all,  it  has  only 
exemplified,  on  a  larger  scale,  the  enjoyments  and 
advantages  always  open  to  the  blind  of  New 
England. 

Movement  eor  the  Blind  in  Peovidence. 

Among  the  many  interesting  and  gratifying 
demonstrations  in  behalf  of  the  blind,  none  was 
more  so  than  the  action  of  the  people  of  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island,  in  furtherance  of  the  printing 
fund. 

A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  music  hall 
of  that  city  on  the  12th   of  April  last,  which  was 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT— Xo.   27.  71 

attended  by  a  large,  intelligent  and  enthnsiastic  au- 
dience. Governor  Littlefield  presided,  and  opened 
the  exercises  with  a  brief  address.  About  thirty 
members  of  our  school  gave  an  exhibition  in  read- 
ing and  in  various  branches  of  study  and  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  and  illustrated,  in  a  striking 
and  touching  manner,  the  results  of  the  beneficent 
work  begun  by  Dr.  Howe  fifty  years  ago.  Perti- 
nent speeches  were  made  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robin- 
son, president  of  Brown  university,  ex-governor 
Yan  Zandt,  Bishop  Clark,  the  Rev.  A.  "Woodbury, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Behrends  and  the  Rev.  George  Har- 
ris, and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  the  matter,  composed  of  Governor  Littlefield, 
Mayor  Hayward,  and  ten  other  members  represent- 
ing the  business  interests,  the  social  status  and  the 
benevolence  of  the  community. 

Thus  the  work  of  soliciting  subscriptions  to  the 
printing  fund  was  auspiciously  inaugurated,  and  a 
regular  system  of  canvassing  was  pursued,  by 
means  of  which  the  amount  of  about  seven  thou- 
sand dollars  was  raised. 

For  so  satisfactory  a  consummation  of  this 
movement  the  blind  of  IS^ew  England  are  greatly 
indebted  to  the  prominent  citizens  and  clergymen 
of  Providence  who  encouraged  and  promoted  it, 
to  the  editors  of  the  two  leading  newspapers, 
the  "Journal"  and  the  "Press,"  who  cheerfully 
espoused  the  cause  and  lent  their  influence  to  its 
advancement,  and  es2:)ecially  to  our  good  friend. 


72  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Mr.  James  B.  "VVinsor,  who  devoted  himself  to  it 
from  its  very  inception  and  labored  persistently 
and  with  marked  disinterestedness  until  success 
was  fully  attained. 

Effects  of  Political  Inteeference. 

The  public  institutions  of  Great  Britain  and 
America  have  their  origin  in  the  same  causes,  are 
carried  on  for  similar  purposes,  and  are  alike  in 
many  resj^ects;  but  they  diifer  essentially  in  three 
important  points:  in  the  fundamental  principles  of 
their  organization,  in  the  sources  from  Avhich  they 
derive  their  means  of  existence,  and  in  the  scope 
of  their  administration. 

In  Great  Britain  no  provision  is  made  by  the 
state  in  its  sovereign  character  in  favor  of  its 
crippled  and  defective  children.  The  budget 
annually  presented  by  the  government  and  adopted 
by  the  parliament  contains  no  items  of  expense 
either  for  their  education  or  for  their  care  and 
maintenance.  It  is  true  that  humane  enterprises 
are  not  neglected  in  England,  and  that  the  field 
of  philanthropy  receives  due  attention  and  is 
rendered  productive  of  good  harvest  in  some  of  its 
parts:  but  the  means  of  its  cultivation  are  not 
furnished  from  the  public  treasiu'y;  they  are  raised 
by  the  donations  and  contributions  of  benevolent 
individuals.  Society,  as  such,  in  its  organic  cajDac- 
ity,  recognizes  no  obligation  towards  its  unfortu- 
nate members.     It  is  entii'ely  left  to  private  charity 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27.  73 

to  perform  this  duty.  History  and  experience 
suggest,  however,  that  whatever  is  done  under 
this  form  is  often  so  hampered  by  conditions  cal- 
culated to  minister  to  the  whims  and  vanity  of  the 
donors,  is  so  ludicrously  encumbered  by  a  compli- 
cated machinery  of  parade  and  show,  of  empty 
titles  and  long  subscription  lists,  of  arrogant  dis- 
tinctions and  humiliating  ceremonies,  of  annual 
dinners  and  begging  sermons,  that  although  it 
may  be  very  gratifying  to  the  feelings  and  ambi- 
tion of  the  givers,  its  blessedness  is  rather  ques- 
tionable so  far  as  the  recipients  are  concerned. 

In  this  country  the  case  is  entirely  different. 
The  state  adheres  to  broader  considerations  and 
higher  principles,  and  its  fixed  polic}^  is  to  take 
care  of  every  disabled  or  incapacitated  citizen,  and 
to  provide  the  means  of  education  for  every  child 
within  its  borders,  in  view  not  only  of  his  assumed 
rights,  but  also  for  the  protection  of  the  commu- 
nity itself  against  ignorance  as  a  source  of  pau- 
perism, and  as  unfitting  men  for  the  duties  of 
citizenship.  Thus  public  institutions  for  the  poor 
and  the  perverse,  the  halt  and  the  lawless,  the 
idiots  and  the  insane,  the  deaf  and  the  blind,  are 
established  everywhere  by  legislative  enactments 
and  are  supported  by  funds  to  which  each  tax- 
payer contributes  his  share. 

This  policy  is  unquestionably  the  right  one. 
Viewed  in  the  light  of  social  economy,  it  is  just  to 
the  sufferers,  creditable  to  the  community  at  large, 


74  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

and  admirable  in  every  respect;  but,  considered 
in  its  practical  workings,  it  is  not  entirely  free 
from  grave  disadvantages  and  certain  perils.  The 
most  serious  of  these  arise  from  political  or  par- 
tisan interference  in  the  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  public  establishments  and  the  control  of 
their  interests. 

The  disastrous  effects  of  this  contemptible  prac- 
tice are  so  enormous  that  it  would  be  very  difficult 
to  exaggerate  them.  The  lamentable  condition  of 
many  state  institutions  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  especially  in  the  West  and  South,  shows 
conclusively,  that  it  is  the  most  threatening  as  it  is 
the  most  insidious  danger  that  besets  them.  In  its 
concrete  application  it  eats  "  as  doth  a  canker " 
into  the  very  heart  of  their  exis-tence.  It  is  a  cry- 
ing evil,  affixing  a  stigma  upon  the  communities 
which  encourage  or  tolerate  it.  Born  of  no  other 
incentives  than  the  lust  of  spoils  and  the  thirst 
for  lucrative  positions,  it  has  already  done  an 
incalculable  amount  of  mischief.  However  it  may 
be  disguised  under  this  pretence  or  that  excuse, 
it  is  obviously  pernicious  in  its  character,  demor- 
alizing in  its  influences,  unscrupulous  in  its 
attempts,  plunderous  in  its  aims,  vindictive  in  its 
purposes,  destructive  in  its  tendencies,  and  reck- 
less in  its  action.  Through  the  viciousness  of  this 
system  the  usefulness  of  state  institutions  is  greatly 
impaired,  the  essential  powers  on  which  their  effi- 
ciency rests  are  consumed,  and  the  foundations  of 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  75 

the  moral  dikes  that  shut  out  the  waters  of  a  sea 
of  ills  are  sapped.  Honesty,  fitness,  capacity  and 
fidelity  cannot  possibly  thrive  or  find  adequate 
protection  under  it.  As  a  consequence,  accom- 
plished superintendents,  trained  and  intelligent 
teachers,  experienced  officers  and  faithful  em- 
ployes are  summarily  dismissed  from  their  places 
for  no  other  cause  but  simply  in  order  to  make 
room  for  corrupt  politicians  and  to  gratify  the 
hunger  for  office  of  their  henchmen  and  satellites 
who  were  howling  on  the  confines  of  party  strife. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  vital  forces  of  pub- 
lic service  are  undermined,  the  springs  of  enthu- 
siasm and  earnest  devotion  to  duty  are  dried, 
activity  and  hopefulness  are  succeeded  by  apathy 
and  despondency,  and  men  of  talent,  acknowl- 
edged ability,  scholarly  attainments  and  independ- 
ence of  character  are  driven  out  of  their  professions 
in  disgust.  They  seem  to  prefer  retirement  to  the 
yoke  of  unreasonable  and  exacting  despotism. 

This  evil  has  already  assumed  such  immense 
dimensions  in  several  sections  of  the  country  that 
it  cannot  be  cured  by  the  ordinary  means  of  grace. 
It  has  become  a  terrible  incubus  which  must  be 
torn  up  by  the  roots,  a  nightmare  which  must  be 
shaken  off"  without  delay.  It  has  grown  to  a  mon- 
strous wrong,  which  deserves  universal  and  unre- 
lenting opprobrium,  and  which  imposes  upon  the 
good  people  of  all  political  parties  and  religious 
sects  the  solemn  obligation  to  unite  in  a  strenuous 


76  INSTITUTIOX  FOR   THE   BLIXD.        [Oct. 

and  determined  effort  to  close  the  gates  of  public 
institutions  against  the  whirlwinds  of  political 
antagonisms,  partisan  influences,  and  capricious 
favoritism,  bringing  with  them  confusion,  anarchy 
and  desolation.  Unless  this  be  effectually  done, 
the  provision  made  by  the  state  for  the  mainten- 
ance and  support  of  educational  or  charitable 
establishments  will  prove  in  many  instances  a 
source  of  trouble  and  annoyance,  instead  of  a 
means  of  convenience,  prosperity,  and  permanent 
peace. 

It  is  with  sincere  pleasure  that  we  are  able  to 
say  that  such  practices  are  almost  unknown  in 
'Ne^Y  England,  and  can  hardly  be  tolerated  by  its 
people.     May  their  absence  be  perpetual! 

Misapprehensions  to  be  Avoided. 
It  is  well  known  that  some  public  institutions 
have  their  origin  in  the  idea  of  the  supreme  reign 
of  law  and  order  and  the  protection  of  society, 
others  in  pity  and  sympathy  for  the  disabled  and 
suffering  members  of  the  human  family,  and  still 
others  in  the  right  to  a  thorough  education  which 
the  state  accords  to  all  its  children,  irrespective  of 
creed,  color,  social  condition,  or  physical  defects. 
In  other  words,  these  establishments  are  either 
penal,  reformatory,  eleemosynaiy,  or  educational  in 
their  character.  A  thorough  understanding  of 
these  distinctions,  as  well  as  of  the  specific  aims  and 
purposes  of  the  different  institutions,  will  help  those 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  77 

in  authority  not  only  to  minister  properly  to  the 
wants  and  training  of  their  beneficiaries,  but  like- 
wise to  do  perfect  justice  to  all  of  them  individ- 
ually, and  to  infuse  into  those  among  them  who 
hope  to  depend  upon  their  own  efforts  for  self- 
maintenance  that  spirit  of  manliness,  dignity  and 
independence  which  is  indispensable  to  general  suc- 
cess in  life.  A  misapprehension  of  these  points 
will  lead,  on  the  other  hand,  either  to  mistaken 
views  of  imaginary  economy,  or  to  mere  illusions 
as  to  the  magnificent  results  of  centralization  in 
the  administration  of  public  charities;  or,  again,  to 
the  adoption  of  unwise  rules  and  measures  proving 
in  time  positively  detrimental  to  the  welfare  of  the 
wards  of  the  state,  and  to  the  interests  of  the 
community  itself. 

It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  I  am  constrained  to 
say  in  this  connection  that  the  unaccountable 
attachment  of  the  schools  for  the  blind  to  the 
national  conference  of  charities  and  corrections  as 
one  of  its  departments,  coupled  with  a  call  to  their 
managers  to  join  in  the  deliberations  of  this  body 
last  August,  is  a  striking  illustration  of  such  mis- 
understanding. It  shows  clearly  that  the  nature 
and  scope  of  the  education  of  sightless  children 
and  their  legal  right  to  it  are  not  as  widely  and  as 
thoroughly  known  as  they  ought  to  have  been.  In 
consequence  of  this  want  of  knowledge,  they  are 
arbitrarily  separated  from  the  deaf-mutes   by  the 


78  IXSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

brief  dictum  of  a  convention,  and  indiscriminately 
classed  with  paupers,  criminals  and  lunatics. 

I  earnestly  hope  that  the  representatives  of  the 
various  schools  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind  in 
the  country  did  not  assent  tacitl}^  to  this  unfortu- 
nate misunderstanding.  It  would  have  been  very 
unwise,  to  say  the  least,  on  their  part  to  do  so. 
Duty,  as  well  as  the  fundamental  principles  of  their 
work  and  the  vital  interests  of  their  charge,  alike 
demanded  that  they  should  endeavor  to  rectify  this 
error  promptly  and  in  the  most  emphatic  manner. 
For  myself,  I  felt  compelled  to  remonstrate  against 
it  as  uncalled  for.  It  is  a  well  established  fact, 
known  to  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  affairs  of 
this  commonwealth,  that  our  school  is  founded  upon 
the  solid  rock  of  equity,  and  not  upon  the  piers  of 
pity  and  favor.  It  has  therefore  no  official  relation 
whatever  with  the  state  board  of  charities.  It 
has  been  placed  by  law  where  it  properly  belongs, 
namely,  under  the  supervision  of  the  state  board 
of  education.  It  is  classed  with  the  normal 
schools,  the  state  art  school,  the  Massachusetts 
agricultural  college,  and  the  institutions  for  deaf- 
mutes;  and  I  could  not  allow  myself  to  do  the 
slightest  thing  which  might  have  even  the  appear- 
ance of  dragging  it  back  among  the  eleemosynary 
and  reformatory  establishments.  In  my  judgment, 
the  meetings  in  which  the  cause  of  the  blind  ought 
to  be  regularly  and  officially  represented  by  their 
instructors  are  not  those  of  the  national  conference 


1882. J         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  79 

of  charities  and  corrections,  but  those  of  the 
American  institute  of  instruction,  and  the  national 
educational  association.  'No  doubt  much  practical 
benefit  can  be  derived  from  the  deliberations  of 
the  former  body,  or  from  personal  acquaintance  and 
comparison  of  notes  with  men  and  women  who 
labor  in  the  field  of  benevolence,  and  are  more  or 
less  familiar  with  the  management  of  public  insti- 
tutions; but  the  experience  and  knowledge  obtained 
from  active  cooperation  with  the  leading  educators 
of  the  country,  and  from  participation  in  such  dis- 
cussions as  pertain  to  the  improvement  of  the 
methods  of  teaching,  mental  development,  moral 
culture,  physical  and  technical  training,  school 
discipline,  and  the  like,  are  of  far  greater  im- 
portance. 

For  these  reasons  I  felt  constrained  not  only  to 
request  that  my  name  should  be  dropped  from  the 
list  of  members  of  a  standing  committee  of  the 
national  conference  of  charities,  but  to  raise  my 
*  feeble  voice  against  the  injustice  of  classifying  the 
schools  for  the  blind  with  eleemosynary,  penal,  or 
reformatory  institutions. 

Conclusion. 
In  bringing  this  report  to  a  close,  I  beg  leave  to 
say  that  the  institution,  which  hardly  dared  to  call 
itself  a  nucleus  fifty  years  ago,  to-day  stands  on 
the  firmest  foundations  of  public  confidence  and 
beneficent  activity.      As  we  cast  a  glance  over  the 


80  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

history  of  the  past,  and  trace  the  wandering  course 
of  the  river  of  memory,  its  earlier  rills  lead  us  up 
among  the  hills  of  high  endeavor,  the  thinner 
atmosphere,  where  the  first  pioneers  of  the  blind 
labored  for  them  in  the  midst  of  immense  and  often 
disheartening  difficulties,  struggled  for  them  with 
the  mightiest  odds,  and  drove  from  their  path  the 
demons  of  doubt,  incredulity,  discouragement  and 
despair.  Oh!  if  but  a  breath  of  the  intrepid  spirit 
of  these  earliest  days  still  animates  us,  we  can  never 
fail,  even  in  the  most  arduous  and  perplexing  un- 
dertakings !  If  there  still  remains  within  us  a  spark 
of  the  old  zeal  which  led  our  Cadmus  onward,  until 
nothing,  not  even  the  walls  of  darkness  and  silence 
shutting  in  the  most  secluded  of  human  beings, 
could  resist  his  magic  touch,  the  smallest  child  will 
feel  the  contagion  of  the  divine  enthusiasm  for  wis- 
dom, usefulness,  and  the  bringing  about  of  a  more 
perfect  good  on  earth. 

May  the  grand  motives  and  noble  purposes  of 
the  originators  and  fathers  of  our  enterprise,  who 
nursed  it  in  its  infancy,  and  carried  it  forward  to 
the  fair  goal  of  a  brilliant  and  permanent  success, 
abide  by  their  successors  now  and  for  ever. 

Kespectfully  submitted  by 

M.  AISTAGKOS. 


1882.]        PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  81 


ack:n^owledgme;n^ts. 


Among  the  pleasant  duties  incident  to  the  close  of  the  j'ear  is 
that  of  expressing  our  heartfelt  thanks  and  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs,  societies,  proprie- 
tors, managers,  editors,  and  publishers,  for  concerts  and  various 
musical  entertainments  ;  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures,  readings, 
and  for  an  excellent  supply  of  periodicals  and  weekl}'  papers, 
minerals  and  specimens  of  various  kinds. 

As  I  have  said  in  .previous  reports,  these  favors  are  not  only 
a  source  of  pleasure  and  happiness  to  our  pupils,  but  also  a 
valuable  means  of  aesthetic  culture,  of  social  intercourse  and  of 
mental  stimulus  and  improvement.  As  far  as  we  know,  there  is 
no  community  in  the  world  which  does  half  so  much  for  the 
gratification  and  improvement  of  its  unfortunate  members  as 
that  of  Boston  does  for  our  pupils. 

/.  —  Acknowledgments  for  Concerts  mid  Operas  in  the  City. 

To  the  music  committee  of  the  Harvard  Musical  Association, 
we  are  indebted  for  twelve  tickets  to  each  of  their  five  sym- 
phony concerts. 

To  Mr.  Henry  Lee  Higginson,  for  thirty  tickets  to  each  of  the 
public  rehearsals  of  his  series  of  twenty  symphony  concerts. 

To  the  Philharmonic  Society,  for  twelve  tickets  to  each  of 
their  eight  public  rehearsals. 

To  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  through  Mr.  C.  C.  Per- 
kins, president,  and  Mr.  A.  Parker  Browne,  secretary,  for  ad- 
mission to  two  oratorios  and  two  public  rehearsals. 

To  Messrs.  Tompkins  and  Hill,  proprietors  of  the  Boston 
theatre,  for  admission  of  unlimited  numbers  to  five  operas. 


82  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

To  Mr.  Fiye,  for  eighty-five  tickets  to  the  opera  of  Lucia  in 
the  Mechanic  Charitable  Association  building. 

To  Mr.  George  H.  Wilson,  for  seven  tickets  to  the  opera  of 
Fidelio,  given  as  a  concert. 

To  the  Cecilia  society,  through  its  secretary,  Mr.  Arthur 
Reed,  for  four  tickets  to  each  of  five  concerts.  To  Mr.  C.  C. 
Perkins,  for  five  tickets  to  two  of  these  concerts. 

To  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang,  for  admission  to  the  rehearsal  of  Berlioz's 
Eequiem. 

To  the  Apollo  Club,  through  its  secretary,  Mr.  Arthur  Reed, 
for  six  tickets  to  each  of  six  concerts. 

To  the  Boylston  Club,  through  its  secretary,  Mr.  F.  H.  Rat- 
cliffe,  for  eight  tickets  to  each  of  five  concerts. 

To  the  president  of  the  Euterpe  society,  Mr.  C.  C.  Perkins, 
for  nine  tickets  to  each  of  four  concerts. 

To  Mr.  Wm.  Winch,  conductor  of  the  Arlington  Club,  for 
four  tickets. 

To  Mr.  Georg  Henschel,  for  thirty  tickets  to  each  of  his 
three  concerts. 

To  Dr.  Louis  Maas,  for  ten  tickets  to  each  of  his  two  piano 
recitals. 

To  Mr.  A.  P.  Peck,  for  forty  tickets  to  one  of  Joseffy's  piano 
recitals. 

To  Mr.  E.  W.  Tyler  for  ten  tickets  to  each  of  Mr.  Otto 
Bendix's  piano  recitals. 

To  Mr.  Loring  B.  Barnes,  for  forty  tickets  to  Miss  Fannie 
Barnes's  concert. 

To  Mr.  Ernst  Perabo,  for  twenty-five  tickets  to  each  of  his 
two  piano  recitals. 

To  Mr.  Arthur  Foote,  for  six  tickets  to  one  piano  recital,  and 
the  same  number  to  five  trio  concerts. 

To  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Sherwood,  for  six  tickets  to  one  piano 
recital. 

To  Dr.  Tourjee,  for  admission  to  two  classical  and  thi-ee  quar- 
terly conservatory  concerts. 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  83 

To  Madame  Terese  Liebe,  for  twenty  tickets  to  her  concert. 

To  Mr.  Arthur  "Whiting,  for  admission  to  one  piano  recital. 

To  Mr.  Albert  Conant,  for  twelve  tickets  to  one  of  the  Peter- 
silea  conservatory  concerts. 

To  Mrs.  Leavitt,  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  committee,  for  twenty 
tickets  to  the  children's  temperance  festival. 

To  Miss  Anna  Dunlap,  for  six  tickets  to  each  of  her  two 
concerts. 

To  Mr.  J.  F.  Winch,  for  ten  tickets  to  one  concert. 

II.  —  Acknoidedgments  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  recitals  and  concerts  given  from  time  to  time 
in  the  music  hall  of  the  institution,  we  are  greatly  indebted  to 
the  following  artists  : — 

To  Prof.  Carl  Baerman  and  Mrs.  Clara  Doria  Rogers. 

To  Mr.  S.  B.  Whitney,  organist,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Topliffe,  pianist, 
Mr.  G.  B.  Van  Sanvoord,  flutist,  Mr.  E.  B.  Marble,  violinist, 
and  Mr.  Arthur  Stockbridge,  cellist. 

To  Mr.  Albert  Meyers,  assisted  by  Miss  Annie  C.  Wester- 
velt.  Miss  Nellie  M.  Moore,  Mr.  B.  F.  Hammond  of  Worcester, 
Mr.  Frank  Douahoe,  organist  and  pianist,  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Leahy, 
elocutionist. 

To  Mrs.  Freeman  Cobb,  assisted  by  Miss  Fannie  Barnes,  Miss 
Hunneman,  Mrs.  Ella  Cleveland  Fenderson,  Mr.  Smith,  and  Dr. 
Fenderson. 

To  Mr.  Stark,  assisted  b}^  Mrs.  Starkweather,  Mrs.  Scott 
James,  Mr.  E.  R.  Eaton,  Mr.  George  Buckmore,  and  Miss 
Nason,  reader. 

To  Mr.  Clayton  Johns,  for  a  piano  recital. 

To  Miss  Woodward,  for  a  lecture  on  Norwegian  music,  with 
illustrations. 

III.  —  Acknoidedgments  for  Lectures  and  Readings. 

For  various  lectures,  addresses  and  readings,  our  thanks  are 
due  to  the  following  friends :  Miss  Helen  McGill,  Ph.D.,  Mrs. 


84 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


Julia  Ward  Howe,  Mr.  F.  H.  Underwood,  Samuel  Eliot,  LL.D., 
G.  Stanle}^  Hall,  Ph.D.,  W.  D.  Howells,  Mr.  R.  W.  Jamieson, 
and  others. 

IV.  —  AcJcnoivledgments  for  Shells,  Specimens,  etc. 

For  a  valuable  collection  of  shells  and  specimens  of  various 
kinds  we  are  under  lasting  obligations  to  the  Boston  Natural 
History  Societ}',  through  its  custodian,  Prof.  Alpheus  Hyatt, 
who  has  taken  a  kind  interest  in  our  little  museum  and  has 
shown  his  good  will  and  friendliness  towards  the  institution  and 
its  beneficiaries  in  many  ways. 

Y. — Acknowledgments  for  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 

The  editors  and  publishers  of  the  following  reviews,  maga- 
zines and  semi-monthly  and  weekly  papers,  continue  to  be  ver}'- 
kind  and  liberal  in  sending  us  their  publications  gratuitously, 
which  are  always  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with 
interest : — 


The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education, 

The  Atlantic, 

Wide  Awake, 

Boston  Home  Journal, 

Youth's  Companion,  . 

The  Christian,    . 

The  Christian  Register, 

The  Musical  Record, 

The  Musical  Herald,  . 

The  Folio, 

Littell's  Living  Age,  . 

Unitarian  Review, 

The  Watchman, 

The  Golden  Rule, 

Ziou's  Herald,    . 

The  Missionar}'  Herald, 


Boston,  Mass. 


1882.]        PUBLIC  DOCUMENr— No.  27.  85 

The  Salem  Register,  ....  Salem,  Mass. 
The  Century,  ....  Miv  York,  N.  Y. 
St.  Nicholas,       ....  "  » 

The  Christian  Union,  .         .  "  " 

The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy,      "  " 

Journal  of  Health,       .         ,         .  Dansville,  N.  Y. 

Church's  Musical  Journal,  .         .     Cincinnati,  0. 

Goodson  Gazette,  Va.  Inst,  for  Deaf-3Tutes  and  Blind. 
Tablet,       .         .     West  Va.  "  ''  "        " 

Companion,  .  3Tiyinesota  Institute  for  Deaf-Mutes. 
II  Mentore  dei  Ciechi,         .         .  Florence,  Italy. 

I  desire  again  to  render  the  most  hearty  thanks,  in  behalf  of 
all  our  pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  thus  nobly  remem- 
bered them.  The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  atten- 
tions have  sown  have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will 
continue  to  bear  fruit  in  after  ^-ears  ;  and  the  memor}'  of  many 
of  these  delightful  and  instructive  occasions  and  valuable  gifts 
will  be  retained  through  life. 

M.  ANAGNOS. 


86 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND. 


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INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


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1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


89 


Certificate  of  the  Auditing  Committee. 

Boston,  Oct.  9,  1882. 
The  undersigned,  a  committee  appointed  to  examine  tlie  accounts 
of  tlie  treasurer  of  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School 
for  the  Blind,  for  the  year  ending  Sept.  30,  1882,  have  attended  to 
that  duty,  and  hereby  certify  that  they  find  the  payments  properly 
vouched  and  the  accounts  correctly  cast,  resulting  in  a  balance  of 
eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  dollars  and  twenty  cents  on 
hand,  deposited  in  the  New  England  Trust  Co.'to  the  credit  of  the 
institution. 

The  treasurer  also  exhibited  to  us  evidence  of  the  following  prop- 
erty belonging  to  the  institution. 

A.  T.  FROTHINGHAM, 
GEO.  L.  LOVETT, 

Auditing  Committee. 


General  Fund. 
Notes  secui'ed  by  mortgage, 
30  shares  Boston  &  Pmvidence  R.  R., 
60  shares  Fitchburg  R.  R  ,    . 
Estate  No.  11  Oxford  street,  Boston,    . 
2  Eastern  R.  R.  bonds, 

2  Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  bonds, 

Harris   Fund. 
Notes  secured  by  mortgage, 
1  Boston  &  Lowell  R.  R.  bond,     . 

3  Eastern  R.  R.  bonds, .... 
3   Chicago,  Milwaukee  &«St.   Paul   R.   R 

bonds, 

15   Chicago,  Burlington  &   Quincy  R.   R 
bonds, 


Pi'inting  Fund. 
Notes  secured  by  mortgage, 

Temporary  notes, 

2   Chicago,  Milwaukee   &  St.  Paul  R.   R. 

bonds,     ....... 

5  Ottawa  &  Burlington  R.  R.  bonds,    . 
5  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs 

bonds, 

10  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R., 


$40,000  00 
4,200  00 
6,374  00 
5,500  00 
1,000  00 
1,686  28 


$61,000  00 
1,000  00 
3,000  00 

3,000  00 

12,732  08 


$2,500  00 
82,500  00 

2,159  00 
5,550  00 

6,200  00 
8,360  00 


5,760  28 


),732  08 


107,269  00 


$246,761  36 


90 


INSTITUTION   FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 


DETAILED 


STATE^IENT   OF 
RECEIPTS. 


TREASURER'S 


Oct,        1.  Balance  on  hand,       .... 
7.  Interest  on  note,        .... 

15.  Interest  on  note,        .... 

31.  State  of  Massachusetts,     . 
Nov.      17.  Discount  on  note,      .... 

25.  Interest  on  Ottawa  &  Burlington  R.  R. 

25.  Sale  of  estate  No.  11  Endicott  street, 

29.  Interest  on  note,        .... 
Dec.      20.  Boston  &  Providence  R.  R.  dividend, 

2-4.  Interest  on  note,       .... 
Interest  on  New  England  Trust  Co., 


Jan.      14.  State  of  Massachusetts,  . 

25.  Receipts  from  M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per 
following:  — 
Income  of  legacy  to  Laura  Bridg- 

man,       .... 
State  of  N.  H.,  acc't   B.  F.  Parker, 
J.  J.  Mundo,  account  of  daughter 
W.  D.  Garrison,  account  of  son, 
J.  R.  Cocke,  account  of  self,    . 
Sale  of  admission  tickets. 

Tuning, 

P.  Thatcher,  acc't  of  Henry  Boesch 

J   J.  M'CafFerty,  acc't  of  daughter 

Gift  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  . 

Receipts  of  woi-k  department : — 

For  month  of  October,    $1,591  50 

November,  1,164  44 

December,  1,350  11 


Sale  of  books  acc't  j^rinting  dep't. 


123,997 

03 

270 

00 

150 

00 

7,500 

00 

3G2 

18 

bonds 

150 

00 

3,650 

00 

240 

00 

120 

00 

300 

00 

239 

82 

7,500 

00 

.  $167 

90 

',   45 

02 

L-,    50 

00 

.   300 

00 

40 

00 

12 

00 

.   600 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

21 

97 

27.  Interest  on  note, 
30. 


Amount  carried  forward, 


4,106  05 

747  10 

6,140  04 

. 

303  75 

, 

75  00 

75  00 

• 

300  00 

$51,372  82 

1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27.  91 

Amount  brought  forward, $51,372  82 

1883. 

Jan.     30.   Interest  on  note, 200  00 

"        "       " 125  00 

"         "       " 540  00 

Feb.        6.  Note  collected, 5,000  00 

Interest, 31  25 

14.  Interest  on  Kansas  City,  St  Joseph  &  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  R.  R.  bonds, 175  00 

Feb.       14.  Interest    on    Milwaukee  &    St.   Paul   R.   R. 

bonds, 150  00 

Interest  on  Boston[&  Lowell  R,  R.  bonds,          ,  25  00 

28.  Interest  on  note, 125  00 

March     1.  Eastern  R.  R.  coupons, 270  00 

Sale  of  note, 10,000  00 

Interest  on  note, 687  50 

Interest  on  note, 156  57 

April       1.  Discount  on  note, 155  56 

3.  State  of  Massachusetts, 7,500  00 

5.  Interest    on    Ottawa    &    Burlington    R.    R. 

bonds, 150  00 

20.  Interest  on  note, 305  00 

Estate    of   R.   E.  Apthorp,   for    i-ents    col- 
lected,    200  00 

25.  M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following : — 

Tuning, $590  00 

Mrs.  Knowlton,  account  of  daughter,      .  24  00 
Sale  of  brooms,  account  of  boys' shop,  .  37  18 

Admission  fees, 55  47 

Printing  department,  for  boxes,  etc.,      .  74  34 
Income  of  legacy  to  Laura  Bridgman,   .  40  00 
Sale  of  old  junk  etc.,       .         .        .        .48  83 
Receipts  of  work  department: — 
For  month  of  January,    $1,119  99 
February,        696  53 
March,  890  50 

2,707  02 

Sale  of  books,  acc't  of  printing  de- 
partment,            487  55 

4,064  39 

29.  Interest  on  note, 270  00 

Interest  on  note, 150  00 

May        1.  Boston  &  Providence  R.  R.  dividend,        .         .  120  00 

8.  American  printing   house,  for  the 

blind,  Louisville,  Ky., 581  25 

Amount  carried  forward,        .....     f  82,354  34 


92 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward, 

1882. 

May      27.  Interest  on  note, 


30.         "        "       "  .        . 

July         1.         "        "       "  .         . 

6. 
July        7.  State  of  Massachusetts,    . 

13.  Interest  on  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Coun 

cil  Bluffs  R.  R.  bonds,  . 
15.        "        "  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R 
R.  bonds,       .... 
"         "  Boston  &  Lowell  R.  R.  bonds. 


July      25.  Interest  on  note. 


28    Payment  of  one-half  mortgage  note. 
Interest  on  mortgage  note, 
Aug.       4.  Interest  on  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R 

R.  bonds, 

Note  collected, 

M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following: — 
J.  J.  M'Cafferty,acc't  of  daughter,      $50  00 
F.  A.  Hosmer,  account  of  son,        .       300  00 
J.  R  Cocke,  account  of  self,  .         .        60  00 

Tunings 300  00 

Sale  of  soap-grease,        .         .        •        31  24 
Receipts  of  work  depai*tment : — 
For  month  of  April,     $1,234  29 
May,  1,322  53 

June,  1,687  43 


Sale   of  books,    acc't  of  printing 
dep't, 


4,244  25 


71  00 


12.  American  printing  house  for  the  blind,  Louis 

ville,  Ky., 

J.  V.  Apthorp,  rents  collected. 

State  of  Connecticut  for  board  and  tuition  of 

beneficiaries, 

Discount  on  note, 

15.  Interest  on  notes, 

Amount  carried  forward,        .... 


582,354  34 

240  00 
99  40 
300  00 
200  00 
125  00 
540  00 
7,500  00 

175  00 

150  00 
25  00 

300  00 

75  00 

75  00 

9,000  00 

810  00 

200  00 
10,000  00 


5,056  49 


85 

75 

250 

00 

4,300 

00 

228 

75 

303 

13 

22,392  86 

1882.]        PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


93 


Aug-. 


Sept 


Amount  brought  forivard, $122,392  86 

15.  State  of  Vermont  for   board  and  tuition  of 

beneficiaries, 2,550  00 

State  of  Rliode  Island,  board  and  tuition  of 

beneficiaries, 3,544:  00 

State  of  Maine  for  board  and  tuition  of  bene- 
ficiaries,           3,600  00 

Notes  collected, 15,000  00 

12.  Interest  on  Eastern  R.  R.  bonds,      ...  90  00 

18.  Interest  on  note,        ......  125  00 

Discount  on  note, 300  00 

26.  Fitchburg  R.  R.  dividends,       ....  457  50 

Notes  collected, 10,000  00 

Interest      "               30  55 

29.  Note           "               10,000  00 

Discount  on  note, 362  19 

30.  State  of  New  Hampshire  for  board  and  tui- 

tion of  beneficiaries, 3,620  00 

Interest  on  note, 687  50 

M.  Anagnos,  director,  as  per  following: — 
Mrs.  Knowlton  account  of  daughter,     $24  00 

Tuning, 314  24 

Sale  of  brooms,       .        .        .        .         23  36 
Admission  tickets,    .        .        .        .         27  96 
Seating  bench  and  tools,          .         .         23  55 
Sale  of  old  junk  etc.,       ...         45  98 
Printingdepartment,  for  maps,  etc.,         92  80 
Receipts  of  work  department : — 
For  month  of  July,           1 1,697  26 
August,           934  06 
September,  1,992  22   4,623  54 
Sale  of  books,  acc't  of  printing  de- 
partment,               197  24 


Subscriptions  to  printing  fund, 


5,372  67 
61,296  00 

$239,428  27 


Analysis  of  Treasurer's  Receipts. 

The   treasurer's   account  shows  that  the  total  receipts 

for  the  year  were .$239,428  27 

Less  cash  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,    .         .        23,997  03 


$215,431  24 


94 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 


Ordinary  Receipts. 
From  State  of  Massachusetts,        .        .         .$30,000  00 
beneficiaries  of  other  states  and  indi- 
viduals,      18,864  92 

interest,  coupons  and  rents,         .        .     12,570  65 


[,435  57 


Extraordinary  Receipts. 
From  work  department  for  sale  of  articles 
made  by  the  blind,  etc.,    . 
sale  of  embossed  books,  maps,  etc., 
sale  of  real  estate, 

tuning, 

sale  of  brooms  at  boys'  shop, 
sale  of  admission  tickets,    . 
donation,       ..... 
sale  of  bench  and  tools, 
printing  de]>artment,  maps, boxes,  etc. 
sale  of  old  junk,  soaj)-grease,  etc., 

notes, 

subscriptions  to  printing  fund,    . 


.  $15,680  86 

.   2,169  89 

.   3,650  00 

.   1,704  24 

60  54 

95  43 

21  97 

23  55 

167  14 

126  05 

.  69,000  00 

.  61,296  00 

153,995  67 

$215,431  24 

General  Analysis  of  Steward's  Account. 
Dr. 
Receipts  from  auditors'  drafts,  General  Acct.,  $65,281  61 


Receipts  from  auditors'  drafts,  Printing,         .     5,298  41 
Less  amount  due  steward  Oct.  1,  1881, 


Cr. 

Ordinary  expenses  as  per  schedule  annexed,  $44,748  28 
Extraordinary  expenses   as    per    schedule 

annexed,    .......     18,389  76 

Expenses  of  printing  department,         .        .      5,276  16 


Cash  on  hand.  General  Acct.,  .  $958  56 

Cash  on  hand,  Printing  Acct ,         .       22  25 


5,414  20 

980  81 


$70,580  02 

1,185  01 

$69,395  01 


),395  01 


1882.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


95 


Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30, 1882, 
AS  PER  Steward's  Account. 


Meat,  28,318  lbs., 

$3,057  33 

Fish,  4,285  lbs., 

242 

87 

Butter,  5,458  lbs., 

1,918 

62 

Rice,  sago,  etc., 

63 

42 

Bread,  flour  and  meal,     .... 

1,273 

82 

Potatoes  and  other  vegetables. 

929 

49 

Fruit, 

512 

40 

Milk,  21,516  qts  , 

1,371 

13 

Sugar,  7,343  lbs., 

710 

17 

Tea  and  coffee,  610  lbs.. 

201 

25 

Groceries, 

907 

33 

Gas  and  oil, 

487 

13 

Coal  and  wood, 

2,192 

12 

Sundry  articles  of  consumption, 

111 

61 

Salaries,  superintendence,  and  instruction, 

15,685 

12 

Domestic  wages, 

4,137 

00 

Outside  aid,      .         .       * . 

253 

49 

Medicines  and  medical  aid,     .         .         .    "     . 

45 

42 

Furniture  and  bedding,  .... 

3,751 

00 

Clothing  and  mending,   .... 

20 

30 

Musical  instruments,        .... 

443 

38 

Expenses  of  tuning  department,     . 

756 

38 

Expenses  of  boys'  shojo,  .... 

87 

60 

Expenses  of  stable, 

180 

33 

Books,  stationery  and  apparatus,    . 

1,493  62 

Ordinary  construction  and  repairs, 

2,873 

62 

Taxes  and  insurance, 

570 

10 

Travelling  expenses,       .         .         .         .        . 

51 

32 

Rent  of  oflBce  in  town,     .         .         .         .         . 

250  00 

Board  of  men  and  clerk  during  vacation. 

79 

00 

Sundries, 

101 

91 

$44,748  28 

^ 

^"^ 

Extraordinary  Expenses. 

Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs. 

335 

97 

Bills  to  be  refunded, 

137 

00 

Beneficiaries  of  Harris  Fund, 

880 

00 

Lawyer's  fees, .... 

213 

73 

Expenses  at  Mechanics'  Fair 

75 

00 

Expenses  of  work  department 

16,748  06 

18,389  76 

$63,138  04 

96 


INSTITUTION  FOE   THE   BLIND.         [Oct. 


Analtsis  of  Accounts  of  Printing  Department. 

Type 1313  98 

Machinery, ^.        ."  418  10 

Labor,         .         .         ., 1,331  67 

Stock, 920  52 

Electrotyping, 1,172  90 

Binding, 922  70 

Circulars,  stationery,  etc., 86  38 

Travelling  expenses, 109  91 

$5,276  16 


General  Abstract  of  Account  of  the  Work  Department, 
October  1st,  1882. 


Liabilities. 
Due  to  the  institution  for  investments  since 

the  first  date, 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts. 


Assets. 


Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1882, 
Debts  due  Oct.  1,  1882,      . 


43,657  87 
1,067  20 


$4,803  89 
1,543  12 


Balance  against  the  work  department,  Oct.  1,  1882, 
Balance  against  the  work  department,  Oct.  1,  1881, 

Less  uncollectable  bills  from  Dec.  6, 1878  to  April  2, 1880, 
charged  off, 


$44,725  07 

6,347  01 
$38,378  06 

$38,378  06 
37,205  32 

$1,172  74 
55  45 


Cost  of  carrying  on  the  work  department  for  the  year 
ending  Sept.  30, 1882, .      $1,117  29 


Cash  received  for  sales  during  the  year,  .        $15,680  86 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts,      .  1,067  20 


$16,748  06 


Salaries  and  wages  paid  to  blind  people,  $3,600  81 

Salaries  paid  to  seeing  people,  .         .  2,445  79 

Sundries  for  stock,  etc.,     ....  10,701  46 


$16,748  06 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


97 


Account  of  Stock,  Oct.  1,  1882. 


Real  estate, 

$254,539  00 

Railroad  stock, 

13,260  28 

Notes,        . 

40,000  00 

Harris  fimd, 

80,732  08 

Printing  fund, 

107,269  00 

Household  furniture,         *        .        .        . 

17,200  00 

Provisions  and  supplies, 

604  53 

Wood  and  coal, 

2,739  12 

Stock  in  work  department, 

4,803  89 

Musical  department,  viz., — 

One  large  organ, 

$5,500 

00 

Four  small  organs,        .... 

750 

00 

Forty-five  pianos, 

11,000 

00 

Brass  and  reed  instruments. 

950 

00 

18,200  00 

Books  in  printing  office,  .... 

. 

8,100  00 

Stereotype  plates, 

. 

3,900  00 

School  furniture  and  apparatus. 

. 

7,700  00 

Musical  library,        ..... 

600  00 

Library  of  books  in  common  type. 

2,900  00 

Library  of  books  in  raised  type. 

6,000  00 

Boys'  shop, 

105  00 

Stable  and  tools, 

755  00 

$569,407  90 

98 


INSTITUTION  FOE  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


LIST  OF  SUBSCKIBERS  TO  FEINTING  FUND. 


Amount  acknowledged  in  the  last  Report, 

Moses  Hunt, 

A  Bostonian,  through  C.  P.  Curtis,  . 

P.  C.  Brooks, 

F.,  through  S.  G.  SnelUng,       . 

B.  S.  Rotch, 

F.  R.  Sears, 

S.  T.  Morse, 

'Mrs.  B.  L.  Young,     .... 
Moses  Hunt  (final),  . 
R.  T.  Paine,  Jr.  (to  be  used  as  income), 
A  Friend,  through  S.  G.  S.,       . 
Childi-en's  Mission  Society,  North  Adams, 
A  Lady,  through  R.  E.  Apthorp, 
A.  Nickerson,    ..... 
J.  L.  Gardner,   ..... 

James  Sturgis, 

R.  H.  Weld, 

Mrs.  E.  F.  Lang,  sales  of  her  blind  daug 

J.  R.  Coolidge, 

F.  W.  Hunnewell,     .... 
INIrs.  James  Lawrence, 
Geoi-ge  W.  A.  Williams,  . 
Henry  Lee,        ..... 

G.S.Curtis, 

Mrs.  S.  E.  Guild  (second  donation), 
Dr.  David  W.  Cheever,  . 
Henry  S.  Shaw,  .... 
W.  Endicott,  Jr.,  .... 
R.  C.  Greenleaf,  .... 
A  Friend,  through  S.  G.  Snelling,  . 
Theodore  Lyman,  .... 
Mrs.  P.  C.  Brooks  (to  be  used  as  income 

C.  W.  Amory, 

Mrs.  Gardner  Brewer, 

H.  B.  Rogers, 


hter' 


poems 


$44,365  20 

200  00 

4,000  00 

100  00 

40  00 

500  00 

200  00 

25  00 

200  00 

100  00 

500  00 

500  00 

25  00 

1,000  00 

25  GO 

300  00 

50  00 

25  00 

10  60 

50  00 

100  00' 

25  00 

250  00 

5,000  00 

100  00 

50  00 

25  00 

100  00 

1,000  00 

1,000  00 

600  00 

60  00 

500  00 

100  00 

100  00 

1,000  00 


Amount  carried  forward. 


52,115  70 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


99 


Amount  brought  forward, 
Mrs.  William  Amory,        .... 

L.  M.  Stand  ish, 

Woburn  Unitarian  Sunday  School,  . 

F.  W.  Palfrey, 

C.  J.  White 

Two  Friends, 

Seven  Friends,  in  Randolph,    . 

A  Friend, 

J.  B.  Glover 

Mrs.  J.  T.  Coolidge, 

F.  C.  Foster, 

Two  Friends, 

G.  M.  W., 

A  Friend,  through  S.  G.  S.,       . 

G.  A.  Gardner, 

Willard  G.  Gross, 

A  sincere  Friend, 

Mrs.  B.  W.  Taggard 

Miss  Susan  Weld,      .        .        ... 

F.  C.  Lowell, 

Mrs.  C.  P.  Curtis,  Senior, .         ... 
A.  Parker  Browne,    .        . 

C.  C.  J., 

Mrs.  W.  Appleton, 

Mrs.  P.  C.  Brooks  (second  donation  to  be  used  as 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Peabody, 

John  Richardson,      ■         .         ,         .         . 
Friends,  through  Miss  Cruft,    . 

Mrs.  and  Miss , 

Charles  L.  Young, 

Mrs.  J.  F.  Clarke 

Miss  Cora  H.  Clarke, 

Mrs.  William  W.  Warren,        .    •   . 

Miss  E.  F.  Mason,     ...... 

Miss  Ida  M.  IMason, 

Mrs.  Sarah  S.  Fay  (second  subscription), 

A  Friend, 

Mrs.  Caroline  Merriam,     .... 
W. 

Mrs.  A.  W.  Davis, 

Mrs.  M.  B.  Sigourney, 

income), 

;62,115  70 

500  00 

20  00 

18  87 

10  00 
30  00 

2  00 
520  00 

5  00 
200  00 
100  00 
100  00 

11  00 

6  00 
200  00 
200  00 

5  00 

5  00 

25  00 

50  00 

5  00 

25  00 

35  00 

10  00 

100  00 

500  00 

500  00 

5  00 

35  00 

100  00 

115  00 

100  00 

25  00 

5  00 

100  00 

500  00 

500  00 

1,000  00 

200  00 

100  00 

50  00 

500  00 

50  00 

100  00 


Amount  carried  forward. 


3,782  57 


100 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward, 
W.  D.  Pickman, 
Jona.  French,     . 
J.  C.  Palfrey,     . 
R.  A.  &  M.  G.,  . 
A  Friend,  through  S.  G.  S 
Samuel  C.  Cobb, 
Three  Friends,  . 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Wolcott  (second  donation) 
J.  H.  Weeks,      . 
S.  W.  Rodman, . 
A  Friend,  ... 
S.  E.  and  A.,      . 
Miss  Madelaine  C.  Mixter 
Miss  Helen  K.  Mixter, 
Macullar,  Parker  &  Co., 
A.  T.  Lyman,     . 
Mrs.  Fred  Sears,  Jr., 
E.  D.  Peters,      . 
Delia  D.  Thorndike, . 
J.  P.  Bradlee,    . 
Miss  Black, 
G.  N.  Black,       . 
Nevins  &  Co.,    . 
W.  S.  Eaton,      . 
J.  C.  Ropes, 
T.  Lyman, 

Mrs.  Isaac  Sweetser,. 
E.  Whitney, 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Coffin,     . 
Francis  Andrews, 
Mrs.  G.  R.  Minot, 
Mrs.  David  Sears,     . 
M.  D..  and  J.  P.  Spaulding, 
J.  N.  B.,     . 
Oliver  Ames, 
Mrs.  Elisha  Atkins,   . 
C.  E.  Ware, 

A  Friend,  through  S.  G.  S 
Miss  A.  D.  Torrey,    . 
Mrs.  Charles  Webb  Howard,  California, 
James  H.  Blake, 
Mrs.  J.  I.  Bowditch, 
George  P.  Denny, 

Amount  cat-ried  forivard, 


$68,782 

67 

600 

00 

100 

00 

60 

00 

60 

00 

250 

00 

60 

00 

3 

00 

300 

00 

25 

00 

50 

00 

50 

00 

10 

00 

250  00 

250 

00 

250  00 

50  00 

25 

00 

26 

00 

60  00 

100  00 

100  00 

600 

00 

1,000 

00 

100 

00 

50  00 

50 

00 

300  00 

500 

00 

50 

00 

25 

00 

25 

00 

50 

00 

1,000 

00 

5 

00 

250  00 

300 

00 

100  00 

50 

00 

50 

00 

250 

00 

100 

00 

200 

00 

100 

00 

5,376  67 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


101 


Amount  brought  fonvard, 
J.  W.  Wheelwright, 
S.  Johnson, 
M.  C.  Ferris,      . 
H.  C.  Grant,       . 
Mrs.  Caroline  Merriam,    . 
Charles  Merriam, 
John  Pickett,  Beverly, 
Rev.  Frederick  Frothingham, 
Geoi-ge  G.  Lowell,    . 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Joy, 
Mrs.  Theodore  Chase, 
R.  E.  Robbins,  . 
Miss  A.  G.  Thayer,    . 
Rev.  J.  H.  Means, 
S.  G.  Deblois,    . 
A.  T.  Perkins,    . 
Mrs.  A.  Hemenway,  Jr.,   . 
Mrs.  S.  Piper,    . 
W.  T.  Piper,      . 
Anonymous, 

R., 

Mrs.  W.  F.  Gary, 

Mrs.  F.  A.  Brooks,     . 

Miss  Susan  I.  Linzee, 

W.  T.  Glidden,  . 

S. R  Payson,     .         .         .        • 

Mrs.  S.  Cabot,  Sen.,. 

J.  M.  Prendergast,     . 

Mrs.  Walter  Baker,  . 

Miss  S.  F.  King, 

Mrs.  King,  Attleboi'o', 

A.  J.  Templin,  . 

H.  B.  Cross, 

A.  B.  T.  Myers, 
Mrs.  E.  Pickering,     . 
Thomas  Mack, 

J.  H.  Sturgis,     . 

Stephen  Salisbury,  Worcester, 

B.  P.  Cheney,     . 
B.  Schlesinger, 
J.  L.  Little, 

Miss  C.  A.  Brewer,  . 
Sebastian  B.  Schlesinger, 


;'6,375  57 

60  00 

200  00 

60  00 

10  00 

50  00 

100  00 

200  00 

1,000  00 

50  00 

500  00 

20  00 

500  00 

600  00 

26  00 

25  00 

50  00 

200  00 

6  00 

6  00 

10  00 

1  00 

200  00 

50  00 

100  00 

100  00 

600  00 

200  00 

60  00 

300  00 

10  00 

5  00 

1  00 

1  00 

5  00 

6  00 
100  00 

50  00 

3,000  00 

1,000  00 

200  00 

500  00 

100  00 

25  00 


Amount  carried  forward, 


3,428  57 


102 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward, 
Mrs.  F  G.  Willard,  . 

[      '\ 

.     $8G,428  57 
25  00 

Hon.  W.  W.  Hoppin,  Providence, 
A.  B.  Arnold, 

35  38 
25  00 

D.  R.  Brown, 

5  00 

Two  Friends  in  Boston,    . 

100  00 

Mrs.  Helena  M.  Kent, 

100  00 

A.  G.  Weeks,    .... 

200  00 

S  E.  Peabody 

H.M.Whitney, 

Easter  collection  in  Trinity  church, 

200  00 

200  00 

20  00 

Mrs.  H.  H.  Fay, 

Alexander  Cochrane, 

60  00 
250  00 

H.A.Whitney, 

H.  C.  Lodge,      .        .        .         . 

100  00 
100  00 

F.  L.  Ames,        .... 
E.  H.  Baker,      .         .         .         . 

1,000  GO 
100  00 

C.  U.  Cotting,    .... 

200  00 

J.  F.  Osgood,     .... 

200  00 

Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Weld  (last  thousand  to 
A  Friend, 

mak 

e  up 

$100,000) 

1,000  00 
50  00 

G.  Higginson,    .... 
Isaac  Thacher,  .... 

500  00 
100  00 

Mrs.  F.  H.  Bradlee,  . 

100  00 

K.  W.  Sears,      .... 

100  00 

S.  W.  Marston, 

250  00 

F.  H.  Bradlee 

100  00 

Joseph  Burnett, 
Mrs  C.  H.  Joy, 
J.  A  Beebe,       .... 

100  00 

500  00 

50  00 

J.  W.  Linzee, 

Cash, 

50  00 
50  00 

W.  S.  C, 

250  00 

C.  F.  Shiramin, 

H.  B.  Rogers  ($5,000  in  al 

W.  Endicott,  Jr.  ($5,000  i 

C.  W.  Galloupe, 

A.  Glover, 

J.  N.  Fiske, 

1),    .         ■ 

1  all). 

25  00 

2,000  00 

4,000  00 

100  00 

100  00 

100  00 

Through  W.  F.  Apthorp, 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Hamnaond, 

100  00 
10  00 

Mrs.  S.  A.  Miller,       . 

5  00 

S.  Weaver, 

5  00 

L.  A.  Tillinghast, 

5  00 

Amoujit  carried  forward, 


)S,988  95 


1882.] 


PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.  27. 


103 


Amount  brought  forward, 
T.  Little, 
Joshua  Gray, 
B.  F.  Gilman,     . 
W.  C.  Cabot,      . 
Mrs.  Robert  Swan,     . 


Providence,  R 

Cash,  through  Mr.  Howard, 

J.  H.  and  J.  Chace,  . 

Henry  W.  Gardner,  . 

Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clark, 

Jacob  Bunnell, 

A.  D.  Lockwood, 

James  Boyce, 

T.  P.  I.  Goddard,       . 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Gammell, 

A  Friend,  .... 

A.  H.  Okie, 

A.  O.  Bourn, 

Miss  A.  G.  Beckwith, 

Cash,  .... 

Hon.  Wm.  S.  Hay  ward,    . 

Fitz  James  Rice, 

William  Goddard,     . 

S.  S.  Sprague,    . 

Mrs.  E.  A.  ShejDard,  . 

James  Coats,     . 

Rowland  Hazard, 

D.  Goff  &  Sons, 

Miss  Caroline  Richmond, 

Joseph  A.  Barker, 

Callender,  McAuslan  &  Troup 

Hon.  Henry  Howard, 

Edwin  Barrows, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  G.  Russell 

Mrs.  Anna  A.  Ives,    . 

S.  H.  Greene  &  Sons, 

Daniel  E.  Day,  . 

Henry  L.  Kendall,     . 

Fred  I.  INIarcy,  . 

W.  F.  Sayles,     . 

R.  Sherman, 

Geo.  W.   Dart,  . 

Amount  carried  forward. 


$98,988 

95 

1 

25 

2 

00 

2 

00 

100 

00 

20 

00 

10 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

20 

00 

100 

00 

100 

00 

20 

00 

200 

00 

1,000 

00 

50 

00 

10 

00 

25 

00 

60 

00 

102 

00 

100  00 

100 

00 

250 

00 

100 

00 

200 

00 

300 

00 

200 

00 

200 

00 

20 

00 

50 

00 

100 

00 

25 

00 

5 

00 

300 

00 

200 

00 

100 

00 

100 

00 

50 

00 

50  00 

100 

00 

10 

00 

10 

00 

$103,521 

20 

104 


INSTITUTION  FOE  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


Amount  brought  forward, 

$103,521  20 

Mrs.  J.  C.  Brown,      .... 

50  00 

A  Friend, 

60  00 

Hon.  A.  C.  Howard,  .... 

100  00 

Miss  Julia  Bullock,    .... 

100  00 

Whitford,  Aldrich  &  Co., 

25  00 

L.  Sharpe, 

50  00 

Hiram  B.  Aylesvvorth, 

25  00 

Fannie  Kimball  (collected  from  friends) 

15  00 

Free  Religious  School, 

5  00 

Mrs.  Col.  William  Earle, 

10  00 

William  Grosvenor, 

50  00 

Mrs.  T.  Beckwith 

25  00 

Benjamin  F.  Greene, 

100  00 

D.  G.  Littlefield,         .... 

50  00 

L.  B.  Darling, 

25  00 

John  A.  Adams,         .... 

25  00 

H.H.Thomas, 

25  00 

H.  N.  Slater,  Jr.,        .... 

25  00 

L.  B.  Mason, 

, 

50  00 

Augustus  Woodbury,        .         .        .         . 

10  00 

Rev.  C.  A.  L.  Richards,     . 

20  00 

William  Binney,         .... 

25  00 

Edward  Jollie,           .... 

10  00 

Emily  Waterman,      .... 

20  00 

D.  C.  Jenckes, 

10  00 

George  H.  Corliss,     .... 

300  00 

James  J.  Bundy        .... 

25  00 

J.  A.  McCloy,     .        ... 

25  00 

Mrs.  Sarah  Pottei-,     .... 

25  00 

AVillard  Manchester, 

5  00 

Walter  H.  Manchester, 

5  00 

C.  D.  Wiggin, 

5  00 

C.  A.  Darling, 

5  00 

S.  N.  Smith, 

5  00 

J.  S.  Hudson, 

5  00 

J.  E.  Sturdy, 

5  00 

W.  H.  Fenner, 

5  00 

Kuowles,  Anthony  &  Danielson, 

100  00 

Cash, 

98  00 

A  Friend, 

2  00 

George  L.  Claflin  &  Co.,   ... 

25  00 

F.  C.  Sayles, 

100  00 

Benj.  F.  Thurston,     .... 

25  00 

Amount  carried  forward. 


1105,186  20 


1882.]        PUBLIC   POCUMENT  — Xo.  27. 


105 


AmotinL  brought  forward, 
George  Owen,   . 
Potter  &  Bnffington, 
Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Hendvicken, 
Charles  H.  George,   . 
E.  P.  Chapin,     . 
Charles  E.  Carpenter, 
Hon.  Henry  Lippitt, 
Henry  J.  Steere, 
J.  T.  Snow, 
A.  L.  Calder, 
A.  B.  Gardiner, 
W.  B.  Wightmau, 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Turner, 
A.  B.  McCrillis, 
G.  W.  Ladd, 
John  A.  Brown, 
Jesse  Metcalf, 

E.  H.  Brown, 

F.  M.  Ballou,     . 
L.  K.  J.,      . 
H.  B.  M.,    . 
John  S.  Palmer, 
Mrs.  T.  J.  Hill, 
George  M.  Turner, 

A.  B.  Hawes, 
Amos  R.  Turner, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  H.  Brayman, 
Mrs.  N.  B.  Horton, 
C.  Wiggin, 
J.  C.  Nichols,     . 
James  T.  Bower, 
Sadie  E.  Bower, 
Russell  Vaughn, 
J.  C.  Ellis, 
S.  B.  Wickes,     . 
H.  Phinney, 
J.  H.  Eldredge, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Cornell, 
Samuel  P.  Colt, 
Isaac  Lindsley< 

B.  B.  Edmands, 
L.  D.  C,     . 
S.  H.  Tingley,    . 
Mrs.  Fielden  and  Miss  Chace's  school, 


$105,186  20 
25  00 
25  00 
25  00 
25  00 
25  00 
50  00 
200  00 
100  00 
10  00 
10  00 
5  00 
25  00 
25  00 
10  00 
15  00 
25  00 
25  00 
10  00 
10  00 
10  00 
10  00 
25  00 
50  00 
10  00 
10  00 


00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


25  00 
2  00 
5  00 
5  00 

25  00 

26  00 


$106,069  20 


106  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 


LIST   OF  EMBOSSED  BOOKS, 

Printed  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE  OF  BOOK. 


^    o 


=•  a 


c  > 


Howe's  Cyclopa3dia,        .... 

Baxter's  Call, 

Book  of  Proverbs, 

Book  of  Psalms, 

New  Testament, 

Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
Hymns  fol*  the  Blind,       .... 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  .... 

Life  of  Melanehthon,      .... 

Natural  Theology, 

Combe's  Constitution  of  Man, 

Selections  from  the  AVorks  of  Swedenborg, 

Second  Table  of  Logarithms, 

Philosophy  of  Natural  History, 

Huxley's  Science  Primei's,  Introductory, 

Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe,    . 

Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology  and  Hygiene, 

Viri  Romre,  new  edition  with  additions. 

Musical  Characters  used  by  the  seeing, 

Guyot's  Geography,  .... 

Scribner's  Geographical  Reader,    u 

Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England,  . 

Anderson's  History  of  the  United  States, 

Higginson's  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States 

Schmitz's  History  of  Greece,  . 

Schmitz's  Hi.story  of  Rome,    . 

Freeman's  History  of  Europe, 

An  Account  of  the  Most  Celebrated  Diamonds, 

Extracts  from  British  and  American  Literature, 

American  Prose, 

Hawthorne's  Tanglewood  Tales,    . 

Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop, 

Dickens's  Christmas  Carol,  with  extracts  from  Pickwick 

Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Waketield,     .         .         . 

George  Eliot's  Silas  Marnei%  .... 

Biographical  Sketch  of  George  Eliot,     . 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost, 

Po lie's  Essay  on  Man  and  other  Poems, 
Shaksjieare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Ca?sar, 
Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold, 
Tennyson's  In  Memoriam  and  other  Poems,  . 
Longfellow's  Evangeline,        .         . 
Longfellow's  Evangeline  and  other  Poems,   . 

Whittier's  Poems, 

Lowell's  Poems, 

Bryant's  Poems, 

Longfellow's  Birthday,  by  J.  R.  Anagnos, 
Commemoration  Ode,  by  H,  W.  Stratton, 


U  00 
50 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


3  00 
3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

3  00 
2  00 

35 

4  00 

2  50 

3  00 

2  50 

3  50 
3  00 
2  50 

2  50 
50 

3  00 


00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


3  50 
25 


3  00 

3  00 

25 

10 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27. 


107 


LIST  OF  EMBOSSED   BOOKS, 

Printed  at  the  PerJdns  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE  OF  BOOK. 


JUVENILE   BOOKS. 


An  Eclectic  Primer, 
Child's  First  Book,  . 
Child's  Second  Book, 
Child's  Third  Book, 
Child's  Fourth  Book, 
Child's  Fifth  Book,  . 
Child's  Sixth  Book, 
Child's  Seventh  Book, 
Youth's  Library,  vol.  1st, 


Youth's  Library, 
Youth's  Library, 
Youth's  Library, 
Youth's  Library, 
Youth's  Library, 
Youth's  Lilirary, 


2d, 

3d,. 

4th, 

5th, 

6th, 

7th, 


Children's  Fairy  Book,  by  M.  Anagnos, 
Andersen's  Stories  and  Tales, 
Eliot's  Six  Arabian  Nights, 
Lodge's  Twelve  Popular  Tales, 


p.  a 


40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
50 
00 
3  00 
2  00 


N.B.    The  prices  in  the  above  list  are  set  down  per  volume,  not  per  set. 


108 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND. 


[Oct. 


LIST  OF  APPLIANCES  AND  TANGIBLE  APPARATUS 
Made  at  the  Perkins  Insliiulion  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 

Geography. 
I.  —  Wall-Maps. 
1.  The  Hemispheres,  .... 


2.  United  States,  Mexico  and  Canada, 

3.  North  America,       .... 

4.  South  America,       .... 

5.  Europe, 

6.  Asia, 

7.  Africa, 

8.  The  World  on  Mei'cator's  Projection, 

Each  §35,  or  the  set,  $28 

II.  —  Dissected  Maps. 


size,  42  by  52  inches. 


size,  30  by  36  inches. 


1.  Eastern  Hemisphere, 

2.  Western  Hemisphere, 

3.  North  America, 

4.  United  States, 

5.  South  America, 

6.  Europe,  . 

7.  Asia, 

8.  Africa,     . 

Each  §23,  or  the  set,  $184. 

These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability  and  beaut}',  far  supei-ior  to  all  thus 
far  made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 

"  The  New  England  Journal  of  Education  "  says,  "  They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any 
school-room." 

III. — Pi7i-Maps.. 

Cushions  for  pin-maps  and  diagrams,       ....  each,  $0  75 


Arithmetic. 
Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel-plated, 
Ciphering-types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred,    . 


Writing. 
Grooved  writing-cards, 
Braille  tablets,  with  metallic  bed. 
Braille  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed. 
Braille  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed,  . 
Braille  Daisy  tablets. 


each. 

$4  25 

" 

1 

00 

each. 

$0 

10 

" 

1 

50 

" 

1 

00 

(1 

1 

00 

" 

5 

00 

1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27.  109 


TERMS   OF   ADMISSION. 


"  Candidates  for  admission  must  be  over  nine  and  under  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  none  others  sliall  be  admitted."  — Extract  from  the 
by-laws. 

Blind  children  and  youth  between  the  ages  above  pre- 
scribed and  of  sound  mind  and  good  moral  character,  can 
be  admitted  to  the  school  by  paying  $300  per  annum. 
Those  among  them  who  belong  to  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts and  whose  parents  or  guardians  are  not  able  to  pay 
the  whole  or  a  portion  of  this  sum,  can  be  admitted 
gratuitously  by  application  to  the  governor  for  a  warrant. 

The  following  is  a  good  form,  though  any  other  will 
do:  — 

"  To  His  Excellency  the  Governor. 
"  Sir,  —  My  son  (or  daughter,  or  nephew,  or  niece,  as  the  case  may 

be),  named ,  and  aged ,  cannot  be  instructed  in  the  common 

schools,  for  want  of  sight.     I  am  unable  to  pay  for  the  tuition  at  the 
Perkins   Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  and  I 
request  that  your  Excellency  will  give  a  wai'rant  for  free  admission. 
Very  respectfully, ." 

The  application  may  be  made  by  any  relation  or  friend, 
if  the  parents  are  dead  or  absent. 

It  should  be  accompanied  by  a  certificate,  signed  by 
some  regular  physician,  in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion, has  not  sufficient  vision  to 

be  taught  in  common  schools ;  and  that  he  is  free  from  epilepsy,  and 
from  any  contagious  disease. 

(Signed) ." 

These  papers  should  be  done  up  together,  and  forwarded 
to  the  Director  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Mass. 


110        IXSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.  [Oct. '82. 

Blind  children  and  youth  residing  in  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  Vermont,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  by 
applying  as  above  to  the  Governor,  or  the  "  Secretary  of 
State,"  in  their  respective  States  can  obtain  warrants  for 
free  admission. 

The  sum  of  $300  above  specified  coverj  all  expenses 
(except  for  clothing),  namely,  board,  lodging,  washing, 
tuition,  and  the  use  of  books  and  musical  instruments. 
The  pupils  must  furnish  their  own  clothing,  and  pay  their 
own  fares  to  and  from  the  institution. 

An  obligation  will  be  required  from  some  responsible 
persons,  that  the  pupils  shall  be  kept  properly  supplied 
with  decent  clothing,  shall  be  provided  for  during  vaca- 
tions, and  shall  be  removed,  without  expense  to  the  insti- 
tution, whenever  it  may  be  desiral)le  to  discharge  him. 

The  usual  period  of  tuition  is  from  five  to  seven  years. 

The  friends  of  the  pupils  can  visit  them  whenever  they 
choose. 

The  use  of  tobacco,  either  in  smoking  or  otherwise,  is 
strictly  prohibited  in  the  institution. 

Persons  applying  for  admission  of  children  must  fill  out 
certain  blanks,  copies  of  which  will  be  forwarded  to  any 
address  on  application. 

For  further  information  address  M.  Anagnos,  Director 
Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston ^ 
Mass, 


APPENDIX. 

PKOCEEDESTGS 

OF    THE 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL  ANNIVERSARY 

AND 

COMMENCEMENT   EXERCISES 

OF  THE 

Peekiisj^s  Institution  and  Massachusetts 
School  foe  the  Blind. 


0EIjEBZ^J^TI03Sr 


FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSAEY 


^Erfefns  Enstttutfon  anti  fflassacfiusetts   Scf)acil  for  t^e  Blt'nlJ. 


It  was  in  the  summer  of  1832  that  Dr.  Howe  first 
gathered,  in  his  father's  house,  on  Pleasant  street,  the  little 
group  of  six  children  with  which  he  commenced  the  enter- 
prise which,  under  his  paternal  care,  developed  into  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the 
Blind.  It  was  thought  fitting,  therefore,  that  this  fiftieth 
anniversary  should  be  especially  and  publicly  celebrated, 
and  that  this  celebration  should  be  held  in  connection  with 
the  commencement  exercises  of  the  school.  The  following 
circular  was  therefore  issued  : — 

Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
Boston,  May  23,  1882. 

In  accordance  with  a  vote  passed  at  the  last  annual  meeting 
of  the  corporation  of  this  institution,  the  semi-centennial  anniver- 
sary of  the  establishment,  together  with  the  commencement 
exercises  of  the  school,  will  be  held  at  Tremont  Temple,  on 
Tuesday,  June  13,  at  3  p.  m.  His  Excellenc}'  Governor  Long 
has  kindly  consented  to  preside,  and  most  of  the  chief  magis- 
trates and  some  of  the  maj-ors  and  eminent  citizens  of  New 
England  have  expressed  the  intention  of  attending  the  exer- 
cises.    Col.  T.  W.  Hiooluson  will  sive  an  address. 


114  INSTITUTION  FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

You  are  most  cordially  iuvited  to  honor  the  occasion  with  j^our 
presence,  and  witness  the  performances,  which  will  be  to  some 
extent  indicative  of  the  character  of  the  work  accomplished 
during  the  last  fifty  3'ears  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition 
of  the  blind,  and  their  elevation  in  the  scale  of  humanit}-. 

John  S.  D wight, 
Samuel  M.  Quixcy, 

WlLMAM    F.  ApTHORP, 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

Similar  notices  and  paragraphs  calling  attention  to  it 
were  published  in  most  of  the  Boston  journals  and  in  some 
others.  Tickets  of  admission  were  printed  in  raised  type 
in  the  printing  office  of  the  institution,  and,  accompa- 
nied by  the  following  programme  of  exercises,  were  sent 
by  order  of  the  committee  to  former  pupils,  to  members 
of  the  corporation,  and  to  benefactors  and  friends  of  the 
institution.  Others  wishing  to  attend  could  obtain  tickets 
by  application  to  the  director. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  115 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL   ANNIVERSARY 

AND    COMMENCEMENT   EXEECISES    OF   THE 

Perkins  Knstitutiau  antJ  fHassacl^usctts  Sdjaol  for  tfje  ISUntt, 

TREMONT   TEMPLE, 

Tuesday,  June  13,  at  3  o'clock,  P.  M. 

Doors  open  at  2.30  o'clock, 

HIS    EXCELLENCY    GOV.    LONG    PRESIDING. 

ADDRESS    BY   COL.  T.  AV.  IIIGGINSON. 


PART  I. 

1.  Operatic  Selections  by  the Band. 

2.  Introductory  Remarks  by  .        .  His  Excellency  Gov.  Long. 

3.  Address, Col.  T.  W.  Higginson, 

4.  Aria,  —  "The  trumpet  shall  sound"  (with  trumpet  obligato), 

from  the  Messiah  (Handel),         .        .      Wm.  B.  Hammond. 

5.  Essay,  —  "History,".         .        .        .  Miss  Jennie  M.  Colby. 

6.  Commemoration  Ode,        ....       Heniy  W.  Stratton. 

7.  Piano  Solo,  —  Polonaise,  opus  53  {Chopin),  Miss  C.  A.  Heine 

•  8.    Essay,  —  "  Telegraphy  "  (illust'd  by  apparatus),  Wm.  C.  Bolles. 
9.     Declamation,  —  "  The  Present  Age  "  {Channing), 

Henry  B.  Thomas. 

10.  Solo  for' Alto  Horn,  Swiss  Air  and  Variations,  Arr.  by  B.  F.  Bent, 

Christopher  A.  Howland. 

11.  Essay,  —  "Literature,"      ....  Henry  E.  Boesch. 

12.  Reading  by  touch,     ....  Second  Class  of  Girls. 

13.  Chorus  for  Female  Voices,  —  "  The  Psalm  of  Life,"  (PinsiUi.) 

FART  II. 

1.  Poem,  —  "  An  Old  Enterprise,"  by   .         .         .       Mrs.  Anagnos. 

2.  Exercise  in  Geography, Little  Boys. 

3.  Military  Drill  and  Gymnastics. 

4.  Fantasie  for  Cornet  (CMStoue  Rosarie),   .         .  J.  R.  Lucier 

5.  Essay,  —  "Energy,"  .         .         .     Miss  Lenna  D.  Swinerton. 

6.  Kindergarten  Exercise, Little  Girls. 

7.  Valedictory, Wm.  B.  Hammond. 

8.  Chorus,  —  a,  "  Ave  Verum,"  {Mozart.) 

b,  "  Receive  the  May  with  Blossoms,"  {Franz.) 

9.  Award  of  Diplomas  by      .        .         .         .  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot. 
10.    Band,  —  March,  {J.  R.  Lucier.) 


116  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

There  was  a  very  great  demand  for  tickets.  The  day  was 
beautiful,  cool  and  clear,  and  an  eager  crowd  awaited  the 
opening  of  the  doors.  Quite  a  number  of  persons  endeav- 
ored to  enter  without  tickets,  and  were  greatly  disap- 
pointed to  find  that  even  the  offer  of  payment  would  not 
secure  them  admission.  The  auditorium  and  balconies 
contained  a  very  large  assembly,  —  large  not  only  in 
numbers,  but  in  its  representation  of  the  best  culture, 
refinement  and  wealth  of  the  city  and  its  suburbs. 
The  platform  was  occupied  by  the  pupils  of  the  school,  the 
teachers,  trustees  and  a  few  invited  guests.  The  tasteful 
grouping  of  the  pupils  and  the  bright  dresses  of  the  little 
girls  made  it  a  very  attractive  scene,  and'^the  presence  of 
Laura  Bridgman,  who  was  seated  among  the  teachers, 
greatly  enhanced  its  interest. 

Mr.  John  S.  Dwight,  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
arrangements,  opened  the  meeting,  expressing  his  regret 
at  having  to  announce  a  double  disappointment.  Governor 
Long,  who  had  expected  to  preside,  being  unavoidably 
absent  in  Maine,  whither  he  had  gone  to  take  a  much- 
needed  rest ;  and  Col,  T.  W.  Iligginson,  who  was  to  have 
delivered  the  address,  being  prevented  from  attending  by 
a  relapse  of  his  recent  severe  illness.  As  a  substitute  for 
both,  Mr.  Dwight  said  that  he  knew  he  should  name  a 
most  acceptable  gentleman  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Eliot.  This  announcement  was  very  cordially  received, 
for  the  warm  personal  interest  of  Dr.  Eliot  in  the  school 
renders  him  its  best  reiDresentative  to  the  public.  On 
taking  the  chair.  Dr.  Eliot  said,  "  No  words  are  needed 
from  my  lips  to  tell  you  wiiat  the  work  is  that  is  accom- 
plished by  the  school.  What  the  pupils  do  will  be  the 
best  comment  on  the  institution." 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  117 

A  medley  of  operatic  selections  was  then  performed 
very  creditably  by  the  band,  after  which  Dr.  Eliot 
addressed  the  audience  as  follows  : — 

Address  of  Samuel  Eliot,  LL.D. 

Members  and  Friends  of  the  Institution  : 

"We  celebrate  our  semi-centennial  at  this  time  because  the 
first  pupils  of  the  school  were  gathered,  half  a  century  ago,  in 
1832.  We  might  have  celebrated  it  last  year,  for  it  was  then 
fifty  years  from  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Howe  as  director.  If  it 
is  true  that  the  teacher  qpakes  the  school.  Dr.  Howe  made  this 
school.  He  brought  to  it  in  1831,  and  he  gave  it  in  every  suc- 
ceeding year  until  his  death,  all  the  energy,  all  the  aspiration 
which  belonged  to  him ;  he  formed  its  character  from  the  first, 
and  trained  not  only  its  pupils,  but  its  teachers  ;  nor  these  alone, 
but  its  trustees,  its  benefactors,  the  very  community,  in  a  wise 
understanding  of  the  blind  —  their  powers,  their  desires,  their 
destinies.  He  did  not  lay  the  actual  foundations,  but  he  built 
upon  them  almost  immediatefy  after  the}'  were  laid,  and  it  is 
his  design,  the  idea  which  he  conceived  and  graduall}'  executed, 
which  w^e  see  and  for  which  we  are  grateful  toda}^  Not  to  legis- 
lation or  incorporation,  not  to  an}'  conventional  organization 
does  an  institution  like  this  owe  its  life,  but  to  the  heads  and 
hearts  of  living  men  and  women.  They  breathe  into  it,  and  it 
breathes  ;  they  live  for  it,  and  it  lives.  Our  organization  dates 
from  1829,  when  the  founders  of  the  school  obtained  an  act  of 
incorporation  from  the  Massachusetts  legislature.  But  that  was 
not  the  year  when  the  school  was  really  born,  and  its  fiftieth 
anniversary  passed  without  commemoration.  Then  the  work  of 
the  institution  was  proposed.     In  1832  it  was  begun. 

The  first  to  conceive  this  work,  now  reaching  its  half  century, 
was  John  D.  Fisher.  While  pursuing  his  medical  studies  in 
Paris,  he  had  been  much  interested  in  the  education  of  the  blind  in 
that  cit}',  and  what  was  done  there  he  believed  might  be  done  here. 
It  seems  simple  enough  to  us,  but  it  must  have  seemed  difficult 
to  him,  to  induce  Boston,  then  a  place  of  comparatively  limited 
resources,  to  follow  the  example  of  the  great  capital,  and  he  but 
a  young  man  just  entering  on  a  profession  which  claimed  his 
time  and  strength  as  its  own.  He  was  brave,  however,  as  well 
as  benevolent,  and  went  on  from  one  man  to  another  until  he  had 


118  IXSTITUTIOX   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

persuaded  a  sufflcieut  number  of  his  fellow-citizens  to  hold  a 
formal  meeting,  and  to  take  the  steps  which  resulted  in  the 
incorporation  of  the  institution.  He  did  more/far  more  than  this. 
He  found  Dr.  Howe,  engaged  him  in  the  service  which  he  could 
not  undertake  himself  and  made  it  certain  as  anj'thing  earthly 
can  be,  that  the  institution  wotild  be  a  reality.  Dr.  Fisher  will 
alwa3's  be  remembered  as  our  f -under.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
trustees,  and  continued  to  promote  the  work  which  he  had 
started.  But  in  prombting  it  he  was  one  of  many  ;  in  starting 
it  he  was  alone.  Let  some,  at  least,  of  the  recollections  which 
this  day  stirs  centre  in  him  and  renew  our  sense  of  his  high- 
minded  devotion. 

The  first  president  of  the  corporation  was  Jonathan  Phillips, 
a  name  for  many  3-ears  before  and  after  synonj-mous  with  public 
spirit.  He  gave  of  his  Avealth,  and  better  still,  of  his  wisdom,  to 
the  cause  of  the  blind,  as  he  was  wont  to  give  to  every  good 
cause .  of  his  time.  He  was  a  very  close  friend  of  Channing, 
who  not  only  loved  him,  but  leaned  upon  him.  "  That  noble 
intellect,"  wrote  the  great  preacher,  "  was  made  for  a  world  of 
light,  that  noble  heart,  for  a  societ}'  of  truth  and  honor."  It 
was  fortunate,  indeed,  for  this  institution  to  find  such  a  man  to 
preside  over  its  infancj^,  and  we  can  believe  without  an^-  effort 
that  our  histor}'  would  have  been  a  different  one  but  for  Jonathan 
Phillips.     Let  him,  too,  be  reverently  remembered  at  this  hour. 

Among  the  first  trustees  was  a  man  now  of  world-wide  fame, 
but  then  known  to  few  beyond  his  own  circle  here,  —  William  H. 
Prescott.  He  had  a  personal  interest  in  the  blind,  being  half 
blind  himself,  sometimes  unable  to  use  his  eyes  at  all,  and 
always  subject  to  painful  restrictions  with  regard  to  them.  His 
most  important  service  to  this  institution  appears  to  have  been 
an  article  of  his  writing  in  the  "  North  American  Review"  for 
July,  1830.  He  wrote  not  merelj-  to  show  the  need  of  a  school 
for  the  blind  and  the  imperative  dut}-  of  the  communit}-  to  supply 
it,  but  yet  more  to  make  that  duty  a  hopeful  one.  The  prevail- 
ing sentiment  concerning  the  blind,  even  among  their  well- 
wishers,  was  compassion  rather  than  confidence  :  thej-  were  a 
sorely  aflflicted  class  who  could  do  little  or  nothing  for  themselves, 
and  must  depend  upon  the  charitable  care  of  those  around  them. 
Our  trustee  spoke  in  a  very  different  tone.  He  pointed  out  the 
compensations  of  the  blind,  showed  how  their  mental  grasp 
might    be    strengthened   bj-  their  infirmity,   how  memory  and 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  119 

reflection  might  be  developed  in  a  life  of  thought  unbroken  by 
the  sights  which  often  distract  the  minds  of  the  seeing.  This 
was  an  inspiring  view.  It  opened  new  hopes  to  the  blind  and  to 
their  friends.  It  led  those  about  them  to  trust  in  their  capacity 
for  independence,  in  their  abilit}'  to  support  themselves,  nay,  in 
their  ability  to  support  others  ;  and  from  that  day  to  this  there 
has  been  no  brighter  thought  in  all  the  thinking  about  them. 
No  one  can  undervalue  Prescott's  histories.  The}'  have  glorified 
the  name  of  his  country  as  well  as  his  own  name.  But  were  he 
here  to  choose  between  them  and  the  article  which  gave  fresh 
spirit  to  the  blind  and  their  friends,  he  would  have  reason  to  be 
prouder  of  the  article. 

Not  long  after  the  earliest  pupils  were  taken  under  instruction, 
the  women  of  Essex  county  were  moved  to  assist  them,  and  a 
fair  held  in  Salem  in  the  early  part  of  1833  secured  nearly  three 
thousand  dollars.  Their  example  was  followed  by  the  women  of 
Boston  and  the  neighborhood,  whose  fair  in  Faneuil  Hall  brought 
eleven  thousand  dollars  and  upwards  to  the  treasury'.  The  result 
in  sympathy  was  worth  far  more.  Thomas  Handasyd  Pei'kins 
took  the  lead  in  expressing  what  was  in  man}-  hearts,  and  gave  his 
mansion,  valued  at  twent^'-five  thousand  dollars,  on  condition 
that  an  equal  amount  in  monej'  should  be  contributed  by  others. 
The  subscription  proved  not  only  equal  to,  but  double  the  sum 
proposed.  Thus  in  a  few  months  about  a  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars was  bestowed  upon  the  school,  and  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  friends  were  led  to  interest  themselves  in  its  welfare. 
The  poet  says,  "  'Tis  always  morning  somewhere  in  the  world," 
and  it  was  evidently  morning  in  our  institution  in  the  3-ear  1833. 
The  day  which  began  so  brightly  has  never  been  overcast.  Its 
light  has  gone  on  increasing  towards  the  noon,  and  as  it  has 
spread  over  earth  and  sk}',  and  filled  new  spaces  with  its  lustre, 
it  has  been  reflected  by  hundreds  of  sightless  ej'es.  Of  the  inner 
life  into  which  this  illumination  has  penetrated,  of  the  minds  that 
have  been  expanded,  of  the  souls  that  have  been  uplifted  under 
its  deep-reaching  influence,  the  stor}' has  been  written  in  heaven. 

In  face  of  such  a  record  as  this,  without  attempting  to  make 
it  fuller,  we  may  well  be  thankful  to  keep  our  anniversar}'.  We 
do  not  keep  it  for  the  sake  of  the  past  alone,  but  for  that  of  the 
future.  This  semi-centennial  year  has  witnessed  the  completion 
of  the  noblest  subscription  yet  made  in  behalf  of  the  institution 
and  its  constituencj'.     One  hundred  thousand  dollars  have  been 


120  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

given  to  the  Howe  Memorial  Printing  Fund,  and  from  tliis,  as 
from  a  living  fonntain,  a  rich  stream  of  literature  for  the  Wind 
■will  flow  on  to  the  generations  3'et  to  be.  Books  which  the 
blind  read  with  little  less  facility  than  we  with  eyes  can  show  in 
our  reading,  will  now  be  multiplied.  Libraries  will  grow  up 
here  and  everywhere  to  minister  to  the  intellectual  and  moral 
growth  of  those  who  have  long  been  waiting  for  them  ;  and  not 
the  blind  only,  but  their  seeing  neighbors,  will  rejoice  in  the 
abundant  harvest. 

Nothing  done  here  but  bears  fruit  elsewhere.  The  opening 
of  this  institution  was  a  blessing  felt  far  bej'ond  its  borders. 
Its  example  was  followed  in  other  states,  and  even  in  other 
countries  ;  and  many  a  blind  man  and  woman  besides  those  edu- 
cated in  our  school  owe  their  education  indirect!}-  to  it,  and 
have  cause  to  count  its  existence  a  benefit  to  them.  So  it  will 
be  with  our  printing  fund,  so  with  every  good  thing  that  can  be 
grafted  on  our  stock  ;  it  will  all  tell,  and  wide  as  the  world  of 
the  blind  will  be  the  effect  of  each  new  movement  in  their  behalf 
originating  here.  Let  us  never  doubt  that  our  school  is  capable 
of  doing  more  for  the  blind  than  even  the  generous  name  of 
Massachusetts  can  fully  cover.  Let  us  never  cease  to  hope, 
and,  as  far  as  in  us  lies,  to  exert  ourselves,  that  the  promise  of 
the  last  fifty  years  may  be  fulfilled  in  the  next  fifty,  so  that 
when  the  full  centennial  anniversary  shall  come,  it  may  be 
greeted  with  heartfelt  joy  by  the  children  and  the  children's 
children  who  rise  up  to  call  this  institution  doubly  blessed. 

At  the  close  of  the  address,  Handel's  aria,  "The 
trumpet  shall  sound,"  was  sung  by  Wm.  B.  Hammond, 
with  trumpet  obligate,  and  was  greeted  with  hearty  ap- 
plause. It  was  followed  by  an  essay  on  "  History,"  which 
was  commended  for  terseness  of  phrase,  and  for  the  clear 
and  forcible  manner  in  which  it  was  read  by  the  authoress, 
Jennie  M.  Colby.  Mr.  H.  W.  Stratton  then  read  from 
his  embossed  manuscript  the  following  — 

COMMEMORATION   ODE. 

For  him  to  whose  large  heart  each  noble  cause 

A  potent  magnet  proved, 
Whose  deeds  to  yet  re-echoing  applause, 

The  soul  of  nations  moved,  — 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  121 

For  liim  toda}-  strong  beats  our  pulse  of  love. 

A  patli  he  slowly-  oped 
That  led  from  depths  of  gloom  to  light  above  ; 

With  trials  well  he  coped. 
They  ne'er  his  hope  or  might  of  will  could  foil, 

Nor  patience  could  consume. 
What  jo}'  he  felt  when  burst  his  bud  of  toil 

Full  into  triumph's  bloom  ! 

What  mines  of  bliss  on  us  hath  he  bestowed  ! 

His  key  of  sympalh}' 
The  garden  gates  of  knowledge  oped,  and  showed 

The  realm  within,  where  we 
Now  roam  and  pluck  the  choicest  flowers  and  fruits, 

Or  quench  from  founts  of  lore 
Our  thirst,  or  anah'ze  thought's  deepest  roots. 

Drawn  forth  from  learning's  store. 
And  while  amid  these  fragrant  walks  of  truth. 

Another  boon  is  ours,  — 
The  teaching  of  that  golden-sandalled  youth, 

Which  to  us  yieldeth  powers 
To  run  existence's  race  and  gain  a  goal 

That  equalleth  in  worth 
The  highest  aim  of  an}^  artist  soul. 

Not  all,  howe'er,  is  mirth, 
Although  we  joyful  dwell  'mid  Pleasure's  bowers 

And  gardens  of  delight. 
Though  compensation's  law  doth  make  the  hours 

Wing  quickly  on  their  flight. 

Care's  lash  on  us  inflicts  as  fierce  a  sting 

As  on  all  other  lives  ; 
In  us  the  knife  of  mental  suflfering 

Its  blade  regardless  drives  ; 
Affliction  and  true  happiness  do  not 

Necessit}-  obey. 
And  ride  in  friendship's  golden  chariot 

Along  life's  rugged  wa}'. 
Not  few  are  they  who  foolishly  suppose 

Felicit}'  is  chief 
Companion  of  our  days.     We  sa}-  to  those, 


122  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Though  known  to  us  is  grief, 
Whate'er  the  storms  that  faith  doth  bring  upon 

Life's  billow}^  expanse, 
Contentment's  ever  ready  galleon 

A  vo^'age  of  safety  grants. 

Our  sips  from  labor's  cup,  indeed,  ar'e  few, 

But  nourishment  the}'  yield  ; 
From  countless  scenes  are  w^e  deprived,  'tis  true  ; 

But  hope  doth  ever  wield 
Within  our  breasts  her  sceptre.     Time's  fast  wheel 

With  new  work  e'er  is  fraught, 
Which  w^e  shall  find.     Our  precious  books  reveal 

The  soaring  wing  of  thought. 
Ah  !  when,  upon  our  fingers,  shall  we  cease 

To  number  their  amount? 
Oh,  ma}'  the  years  to  come,  their  sum  increase 

Beyond  the  power  to  count ! 

From  seeds  our  patron  sowed  so  long  ago, 

That  climbed  progression's  path. 
Whose  steep,  full  well  all  enterprises  know, 

A  goodl}'  harvest  hath 
By  us  been  reaped  of  golden  knowledge-sheaves. 

Which  we  have  gathered  fast 
In  Memory's  bands.     His  work  today  receives 

An  impulse  ne'er  surpassed. 
Upon  whose  chord  of  influence  ma}'  deeds 

Of  future  years  be  strung. 

Our  name  depends  on  how  each  nature  heeds 

Its  acts  and  careless  tongue  ; 
All  words  and  deeds  form  fabrics  which  the  loom 

Of  time  relentless  weaves  ; 
From  these  the  world  of  thought  within  its  womb 

Opinions  soon  conceives, 
And  reputation  thereupon  is  based. 

It  thus  behooveth  each 
To  be  'neath  caution's  willing  wing  well  placed. 

For  she  doth  wisdom  teach. 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  123 

Let  us  present  Minerva  with  the  ke}' 

That  opes  the  treasure-room, — 
The  thought-filled  chambers  of  the  mind  ;  for  she, 

As  weaver  to  the  loom, 
Will  feed  it  with  our  wisest  words  and  waj-s  ; 

And  thus  the  light  of  fame 
Won  by  our  peerless  school  shall  brighter  blaze. 

The  fabric  of  a  name 
Unsullied,  pure,  may  all  who  in  it  move 

Bequeath,  and,  year  by  year, 
More  worthy  of  its  founder  shall  it  prove, 

And  grow  to  us  more  dear. 
And  when  our  barks  the  future's  tide  shall  sweep 

Afar  from  this  loved  home, 
The  cable  of  remembrance  then  will  keep 

It  near,  where'er  we  roam. 

For  all  whose  generous  gifts  afford  us  aid, 

Within  our  hearts  and  lives 
The  green  of  gratitude  can  never  fade, 

And  ne'er  oblivion's  gyves 
Their  names,  when  tombed  in  ages,  shall  surround  ; 

But  shining  in  the  scroll 
Of  love  for  fellow-men  shall  the}'  be  found, — 

All  time  shall  them  extol. 
To  those  who  wisely  guide  the  helm  of  this 

The  flagship  of  our  fleet, 
We  who  have  known  their  care  and  s^^rapathies, 

Our  thanks  can  ne'er  complete. 

To  ye  whose  work  completion  doth  await 

Within  our  honored  walls, 
To  all  our  class  in  every  land  and  state. 

The  smiling  future  calls 
To  add  fresh  fuel  to  the  glowing  flame 

Of  our  desire  to  press 
Upon  the  paths  of  knowledge,  art  and  fame. 

And  capture  proud  success  ! 
That  flame  doth  generate  the  steam  of  will, 

Which  turns  progression's  wheels 
Upon  the  track  of  life.     The  eye  of  skill 

Each  danger-sign  reveals. 


124  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Then  let  us  on,  and  destinations  reach 

Of  moral  excellence, 
As  well  as  other  aims  of  worth :  ma}'  each 

Heed  well  experience. 
Our  efforts  let  cooperation  guide  ; 

The}'  who  would  wed  Success 
Must  woo  her  well  with  energies  allied 

E'er  she  will  answer  —  yes. 
From  out  the  zenith  of  the  firmament 

Of  our  advancing  cause, 
Hope's  sun  a  disk  refulgent  doth  present, 
Whose  shining-  ne'er  will  pause  ; 

Nor  'neath  the  horizon  of  doubt  shall  sink 

That  orb  which  lights  our  wa}'. 
Eel^-ing  in  the  Guide  divine,  we  link 

Our  hearts  and  lives  for  aye. 

The  piano  solo  (Chopin's  Polonaise,  Opus  53)  which  fol- 
lowed, was  so  finely  executed  by  Miss  Constance  A.  Heine 
that  it  won  a  most  enthusiastic  encore,  to  which  the  young 
lacly  responded.  Commenting  upon  this  performance,  the 
musical  critic  of  one  of  our  journals  remarks  that  it  was 
played  "  with  a  really  artistic  comprehension  of  its  mean- 
ing," adding,  "  The  shading  of  this  pianist  is  excellent, 
and  she  has  a  brilliancy  of  execution  which  is,  under  the 
circumstances,  marvellous." 

The  essay  on  "  Telegraphy,"  by  Wm.  C.  Bolles,  which 
he  illustrated  by  the  use  of  apparatus,  giving  as  a  speci- 
men the  first  despatch  ever  transmitted,  "  What  hath  God 
wrought?"  was  listened  to  with  marked  attention.  It 
was  followed  by  a  declamation,  "The  Present  Age,"  de- 
livered in  a  very  creditable  manner  by  Henry  B.  Thomas  ; 
after  which  Christopher  Howland  played  an  alto  horn 
solo,  "  Swiss  Air  and  variations,"  which  was  critically 
described  as  being  "in  every  respect  a  fine  performance." 

Henry   E.   Boesch   then   gave    a   thoughtful    essay  on 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  125 

"Literature,"  which  was  favorably  received;  and  four 
girls  of  the  second  class  read  fluently  and  gracefully,  from 
embossed  volumes,  some  well-chosen  selections  from 
Longfellow,  Whittier,  Lowell,  and  Dr.  Howe,  after  which 
the  singing  of  the  "  Psalm  of  Life  "  by  a  chorus  of  female 
voices  finished  the  first  part  of  the  programmie. 

The  second  part  began  with  the  following  poem  by  Mrs. 
Anagnos,  which  was  cordially  appreciated  :  — 

AN   OLD   ENTERPRISE. 
Fair  and  bright  are  trifles  new, 
But  the  great  is  ever  true  ; 
When  those  trifles  fade  in  dust. 
Shines  the  gold  that  cannot  rust. 

Shines  through  springtide's  budding  fair, 
Shines  through  summer's  ardent  air ; 
Autumn's  frosts  cannot  impair, 
"Winter  finds  it  glowing  there. 

Be  our  emblem,  fairest  Gold  ! 
Strong  as  thou  the  cause  we  hold. 
Bright  as  thou  our  hope  and  trust. 
Firm  the  faith  that  cannot  rust. 

Then  from  thee  a  crown  we  '11  build, 
Which  no  artist  needs  to  gild  ; 
Circling  form  gives  emljlem  free 
Of  th}''  course,  Eternit}'. 

Not  the  serpent,  but  tlie  dove. 
Heralds  forth  the  cause  we  love  ; 
Cause  which  all  conspire  to  aid, 
Which  the  great  their  own  have  made, 
And  the  gentle  for  it  pra3-ed. 
And  the  strong  worked  undismayed. 

Cause  we  love  and  love  the  giver. 
Who  loves  right  and  helps  it  ever ; 
Who  forsakes  its  banners  never. 
When  the  stoutest  quail  and  quiver. 


126  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Yes  !  that  cause  and  thee,  its  king, 
Let  the  friends  of  freedom  sing  ! 
Freedom  from  the  bands  of  fate, 
"Which  she  weaves  with  cruel  hate  ; 
Freedom  for  the  groping  blind, 
Freedom  for  the  deathless  mind, 
-Freedom  for  the  healing  light. 
All  its  lovers  to  requite. 

The  exercise  in  geography  for  little  boys  proved  very 
interesting  to  the  audience.  A  basket  of  blocks,  each 
representing  some  state  or  country  of  a  dissected  map, 
Avas  produced,  and  as  fast  as  they  were  handed  to  the 
boys,  they  gave  the  name  and  locality  of  each,  and 
answered  sundry  questions  as  to  form  of  government, 
present  ruler,  etc.  ;  nor  did  they  allow  themselves  to  be 
entrapped  by  misleading  questions  occasionally  asked  by 
the  teacher. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  feature  of  the  occasion,  and 
one  which  was  especially  pleasing  as  showing  the  atten- 
tion given  to  physical  development,  was  the  military  drill 
for  boys,  and  the  dumb-bell  exercise  for  girls.  The  former 
was  conducted  by  Capt.  J.  H.  Wright,  and  was  highly 
commended  for  precision  of  movement  both  in  marching 
and  in  the  manual  of  arms.  The  girls  were  dressed  in  a 
pretty  uniform  of  white  with  red  sashes  and  trimmings ; 
and  their  prompt  and  easy  movements  in  harmony  with 
the  music  made  their  performance  especially  pleasing  to 
the  eye. 

The  cornet  solo  played  b}'  jNIr.  J.  R.  Lucier,  although 
very  difficult,  was  rendered  clearly  even  in  the  mos.t  try- 
ing passages,  and  was  encored  by  the  audience,  and  highly 
praised  by  musical  critics. 

The  lateness  of  the  hour  made  it  necessary  to  shorten 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  127 

the  programme,  and  the  essay  on  "  Energy"  was  accord- 
ingly omitted. 

A  class  of  little  girls  then  came  forward  so  that  the 
audience  could  see  their  work,  and  began  modelling  fig- 
ures from  clay  ;  and  while  they  were  thus  occupied  "\Vm. 
B.  Hammond  delivered  the 

VALEDICTORY  ADDRESS. 

If  we  stand  upon  a  lofty  mountain  and  behold  the  scenery 
which  stretches  before  us,  we  experience  feehngs  of  wonder  and 
grandeur  ;  and  it  is  so  to-day.  As  we  stand  upon  an  eminence  of 
fifty  3'ears  and  look  down  upon  the  past  history  of  Perkins  Insti- 
tution, we  are  thrilled  with  similar  emotions.  Let  us  linger  for  a 
few  moments  upon  these  heights,  and  briefly  picture  the  scenes 
which  dot  the  landscajje  of  its  histor3'. 

Dr.  Fisher  of  Boston  first  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a 
school  for  the  blind  in  this  countr3'.  While  pursuing  his  studies 
in  Paris,  he  often  visited  the  institution  of  the  3'oiing  blind  in  that 
cit3^ ;  and  he  was  so  deepl3'  impressed  b3'  the  advantages  which 
this  school  afforded  its  pupils,  that  he  resolved  to  give  the  sight- 
less of  America  similar  opportunities.  On  his  return  to  Boston 
in  1826  he  communicated  his  intentions  to  several  prominent 
persons  in  this  cit3^  As  a  result  several  meetings  were  held  in 
behalf  of  the  blind,  and  in  1829  it  was  voted  that  a  committee 
be  appointed  to  ask  the  legislature  ft^r  a  charter  of  incorporation. 
This  petition  was  unanimousl3"  granted  b3' both  houses. 

Dr.  Fisher  being  unable  to  undertake  the  enterprise  himself, 
enlisted  the  S3-mpathies  and  cooperation  of  Dr.  Samuel  G. 
Howe,  who  opened  a  school  at  his  father's  residence  in  Pleasant 
street,  in  August,  1832,  with  a  little  baud  of  six  pupils  ;  but 
soon  the  number  of  applicants  for  admission  became  so  numer- 
ous that  to  accommodate  them  it  was  necessar3'  that  a  larger 
building  should  be  provided.  Col.  Perkins,  realizing  this  fact, 
offered  his  mansion  in  Pearl  street,  on  condition  that  the  amount 
of  $50,000  be  raised  by  subscriptions.     The  citizens  of  Boston 


128  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  BLIND.        [Oct. 

responded  to  tlie  appeal  with  that  generosity  and  liberality  which 
has  always  characterized  them  ;  and  so  great  was  the  interest 
manifested,  that  in  one  month  this  large  sum  was  raised,  and  in 
less  than  one  3'ear  the  legislatures  of  the  several  New  England 
states  made  appropriations,  so  that  their  blind  children  might  be 
educated  at  the  Boston  school. 

In  1839  the  facilities  of  the  institution  were  greatly  increased 
by  the  exchange  of  the  Pearl  street  mansion  for  the  large  and 
commodious  building  which  we  now  occupy  on  Dorchester 
Heights.  Year  after  year  witnessed  improvements  in  the  build- 
ing itself,  while  its  utility  as  an  educational  establishment  was 
increased  with  the  constant  addition  of  school  apparatus,  mus- 
ical instruments,  and  modes  of  instruction  in  handicraft. 

The  course  of  study  pursued  is  essentialh'  the  same  as  in  the 
hish  schools  and  academies  of  the  United  States.  The  aim  of  its 
instructors  has  been  to  give  the  pupils  such  practical  information 
as  will  enable  them  to  take  their  places  as  intelligent  men  and 
women  in  society. 

On  the  9th  of  Januar}',  1876,  the  institution  sustained  an 
irreparable  loss  in  the  death  of  its  noble  and  great  foimder,  Dr. 
Howe,  who  had  been  our  beloved  and  revered  director  for 
forty-four  years.  Mr.  Anagnos  was  then  elected  by  the  trustees 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  During  his  administration  the  school  has 
made  rapid  progress  in  the  various  branches  ;  but  the  crowning 
effort  of  his  labors  in  our  behalf  is  the  recent  work  of  complet- 
ing the  fund  for  printing  embossed  books.  To  him  and  our 
dear  friend,  Mr.  Samuel  G.  Snelling,  the  blind  of  New  Eng- 
land will  owe  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude  ;  and  we  are  glad  to 
have  this  opportunity  of  returning  our  heartfelt  thanks  to  them, 
and  to  all  who  by  their  generosity  have  afforded  us,  and  those  who 
will  come  after  us,  the  means  of  reading  for  ourselves  the  best 
books  of  the  best  authors  of  every  age. 

That  our  institution  has  done  a  great  work,  no  one  can  doubt ; 
for  she  has  not  only  elevated  the  blind  of  New  England,  but  her 
influence  has  fallen  upon  the  world  like  the  beneficent  rays  of 
the  sun,  to  bring  forth  germs  which  should  spring  up  into  insti- 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.   27.  129 

tutions  like  herself.  How  well  she  has  done  her  work  may  l)e 
shown  by  the  statement  that  at  the  present  time  twenty-nine 
states  have  their  own  educational  establishments  for  the  blind, 
the  others  making  provisions  for  the  instruction  of  their  sightless 
children  at  the  nearest  school.  The  Royal  Normal  College, 
which  is  the  pride  and  boa^t  of  England,  may  be  rightly  con- 
sidered as  an  outgrowth  of  our  institution.  Thus  far  across  the 
Atlantic  have  the  beacon  lights  of  the  Boston  institution  been 
seen. 

In  considering  the  achievements  of  this  school  our  minds  natu- 
rally turn  to  those  who  b}'  their  benevolence  have  enabled  it  to 
accomplish  so  much.  Yet,  while  we  admire  these  noble  men  and 
women,  we  can  only  linger  upon  the  name  of  its  founder.  Dr. 
Samuel  C  Howe.  And  though  his  deeds  have  inspired  the  poet, 
singer  and  orator  to  breathe  immortal  words,  we,  the  children 
of  his  labor  and  love,  would  bring  our  offering,  though  it  may  be 
only  a  simple  flower,  among  the  floral  tributes  to  his  memory. 
There  are  certain  phenomena  in  nature, — the  roar  of  the  cataract, 
thunder,  lightning,  and  the  deep  bass  of  the  ocean,  which  fill  the 
mind  with  awe.  Still,  I  think,  as  one  contemplates  a  human 
character  which  reveals  a  holy  ambition  and  philanthropic 
efforts  for  suffering  humanity,  that  a  feeling  of  sublimity  is 
produced  which  even  the  grandeur  of  nature  cannot  surpass. 
Such  emotions  as  these  I  experience  in  treating  of  the  character 
of  Dr.  Howe, —  a  character  so  grand  and  so  vast  in  its  proportions 
that  an  abler  pen  than  mine  might  well  hesitate  to  attempt  to 
portray  it.  Genius  is  the  shrine  at  which  humanity  has  always 
worshipped,  and  those  men  upon  whom  it  has  been  bestowed 
have  too  often  been  honored  and  immortalized,  regardless  of  true 
character.  Thus  it  is  that  we  admire  the  militar}-  achievements 
of  Alexander,  Caesar  and  Napoleon.  Yet  they  were  men  whose 
histories  were  written  in  blood  and  in  desolated  kingdoms,  and 
who  sacrificed  humanity  to  an  extent  which  has  never  been 
equalled  by  the  greatest  pestilence  that  has  scourged  the  earth. 
If  such  men  as  these  claim  admiration,  how  much  more  must  Dr. 


130  INSTITUTION   FOR   THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Howe,  whose  genius  was  uot  only  great,  but  whose  character  was 
above  reproach. 

There  have  lived  few  men  to  whom  humanity  owes  more 
than  to  him  whose  name  we  honor  today,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  affirm  that,  had  he  never  lived,  many  men  and  women  who  are 
today  enlightened  and  happy,  might  be  groping  in  darkness 
and  despair.  His  philanthropy  cannot  be  better  expressed  than 
it  has  been  by  our  poet  Whittier  : — 

"  Wherever  outraged  nature 

Asks  word  or  action  brave, 
Wherever  struggles  labor, 

Wherever  groans  a  slave, 
The  throbbing  lieart  of  freedom  finds 

An  answer  in  his  own." 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  recount  the  history  of  this  great  man, 
for  the  whole  world  knows  it.  It  is  written  in  the  annals  of 
Greece,  it  is  proclaimed  through  the  happy  countenances  of  the 
blind,  it  is  revealed  through  the  intelligence  of  Laura  Bridgman, 
and  it  is  stamped  upon  the  face  of  the  poor  idiot.  And  what 
was  it  that  led  him  to  accomplish  these  deeds  which  have  made 
his  name  so  famous?  Was  it  to  establish  an  immortal  fame? 
Was  it  to  have  his  name  emblazoned  upon  the  banners  of  civili- 
zation, that  all  might  see  his  glory?  No  !  for  at  the  time  when 
he  was  doing  these  great  works,  the  skeptical  public  laughed  in 
derision.  It  was  simply  the  outpouring  of  his  love  and  pity, 
which  was  so  great  that  as  we  contemplate  it  we  become  lost  in 
its  vastness  ;  and  as  we  review  its  histor}',  we  can  only  exclaim, 
"  Greater  works  than  these  can  no  man  do."  There  have  lived 
great  men  who  have  written  their  glories  upon  granite  and 
marble  ;  yet  these  monuments,  like  the  bodies  of  their  founders, 
have  crumbled  into  dust.  But  far  different  is  the  fate  which  the 
fame  of  our  hero  will  experience  ;  for  it  is  uot  inscribed  upon 
perishable  granite  or  marble,  but  upon  human  character  itself. 
As  we  lay  our  garland  of  praise  upon  his  memor}-,  let  us  not  bedeck 
his  tomb  with  mourning,  but  rather  let  us  rejoice,  for  our  bene- 
factor is   not  dead.     The  truly  great  never  die.     Humanity  has 


1882.]        PUBLIC*   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  181 

given  him  the  title  of  philanthropist,  which  is  the  noblest  gift 
it  can  bestow  ;  and  he  has  won  for  himself  a  name  which  will 
endure  as  long  as  a  Greek  shall  take  pride  in  the  glory  of  his 
nation,  as  long  as  the  world  shall  rejoice  in  philanthropy,  virtue, 
and  the  love  of  God.  Until  these  shall  vanish  will  the  name  of  Dr. 
Howe  stand  as  one  of  the  brightest  stars  which  adorn  the  pages 
of  history, — a  star  which  shall  never  fade,  but  will  alwaj's  be  in 
the  zenith  of  its  glory,  shedding  its  lustre  on  coming  genera- 
tions, and  revealing  to  the  ages  the  splendor  of  the  nineteenth 
centur}'. 

Today  brings  us  to  the  close  of  another  year ;  and  as  we  look 
back  thei'e  is  much  that  is  pleasant  to  remember,  though  it  is 
with  sadness  that  we  speak  of  our  friend,  the  late  Mr.  Apthorp, 
who  was  so  long  one  of  our  trustees,  and  who  endeai'ed  himself 
to  us  b}'  his  friendl}'  visits  and  personal  interests  in  our  welfare. 
We  shall  always  treasure  in  our  hearts  his  kindness,  and  that  of 
the  man}-  friends  who  have  contributed  to  our  happiness. 

To  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  to  the 
executives  and  the  legislatures  of  the  several  New  England 
states,  we  are  greatly  indebted  for  their  liberal  appropriations 
that  have  enabled  the  school  to  carry  on  its  w^ork. 

Director,  teachers  and  officers,  we  who  graduate  today  w^ould 
pour  out  our  gratitude  to  you  for  your  kindness  and  self-sacrifice, 
for  your  timely  reproofs  and  watchful  care  ;  and  though  our 
thanks  be  but  poorly  expressed,  our  gratitude  is  none  the  less 
sincere. 

Fellow-classmates,  the  hour  of  parting  is  at  hand.  We  who 
have  journeN'ed  together  for  so  many  years,  who  have  been 
sheltered  under  the  same  roof,  and  have  formed  ties  of  brother- 
hood which  death  only  can  sever,  are  soon  to  separate  ;  each  to  go 
to  his  own  field  of  labor  ;  and  let  us  seek  to  live  so  that  we  shall 
be  a  credit  to  ourselves,  and  an  honor  to  our  alma  mater.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  school  days  are  the  happiest  in  life,  and 
perhaps  when  our  circuit  of  existence  is  nearly  completed  we 
shall  realize  this   statement ;  for  I  am  sure  that  we   can  never 


132  IXbTITUTlON    FOR   THE    BLIND.        [Oct. 

look  back  upon  the  past  witli  other  than  feelings  of  gratitude  for 
the  dear  friends  who  have  done  so  much  for  us,  and  with  jo}'  to 
the  hours  when  we  pla3'ed  and  sang  together :  yes,  and  the  dear 
old  building  itself,  each  room  of  which  could  tell  a  story  that 
would  fill  our  countenances  with  smiles,  and  our  e^'es  with  tears. 

"  This  fond  attachment  to  the  well-known  place, 
"Where  first  we  started  into  life's  long  race, 
Will  maintain  its  hold  with  imfailiug  sway, 
And  we'll  feel  it  in  age  and  our  latest  day." 

At  the  close  of  the  address  the  little  o:irls  had  finished 
their  modelling,  the  products  of  which  represented  geo- 
metrical shapes,  articles  of  connnon  use,  fruits  and  ani- 
mals. Each  exhibited  to  the  audience  the  models  she  had 
made,  and  gave  a  brief  account  of  their  nature  and  uses. 

Mr.  Anagnos  then  spoke,  briefly  explaining  that  these 
exercises  were  a  specimen  of  the  regular  instruction  of  the 
school,  and  calling  attention  to  the  need  of  a  primary  or 
kindergarten  school  for  those  \vho  are  too  young  for  admis- 
sion to  this  institution,  and  are,  in  consequence,  suffering 
deeply  from  the  lack  of  early  training.  He  announced  a 
determination  to  effect  the  establishment  of  such  a  school, 
and  made  a  brief  but  earnest  appeal  for  assistance  and  co- 
operation in  the  work,  pointing  out  that  no  better  monu- 
ment could  be  reared  to  the  memory  of  any  philanthropic 
ladj^  or  gentleman  who  should  feel  disposed  to  endow  it. 

After  the  singing  of  the  choruses  by  the  pupils,  the 
di})lomas  were  presented  to  the  graduates,  Wm.  B.  Ham- 
mond, Henry  B.  Thomas,  AVm.  C.  Bolles  and  Henry  E. 
Boesch,  by  Dr.  Eliot,  who  addressed  them  as  follows  : — 

I  have  the  privilege  of  presenting  the  diplomas  which  have 
been  awarded  to  you  by  the  director  and  faculty  of  the  school. 
You  are  well  aware  that  they  have  made  the  award,  and  that  I 
am  merely  their  instrument  in  transferring  these  rolls  to  your 
hands. 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  133 

1  congratulate  you  on  receiving  tliem  today.  AVe  have  been 
keeping  an  anniversary  full  of  precious  memories  and  precious 
hopes,  and  the  diplomas  associated  with  such  an  event  have  an 
exceptional  value.  They  will  call  up  these  exercises  in  after 
years,  and  give  you  new  courage  as  you  remember  the  high  and 
solemn  day  on  which  you  received  them. 

I  congratulate  you  also  on  having  enjoyed  the  great  advan- 
tages of  your  training  at  a  time  when  they  have  been  constantly 
on  the  increase,  and  especially  on  receiving  your  education  in  a 
period  when  the  blind  have  proved  themselves  as  fit  to  be  highly 
educated  and  highly  trusted  as  any  class  among  us.  May  you 
add  your  ow^n  proofs  to  those  already  given  to  this  effect,  and 
may  your  lives  be  crowned  with  independence  and  success. 

You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  consider  yourselves  separated  from 
the  school  by  your  graduation.  On  the  contrary,  you  become, 
by  virtue  of  having  reached  the  end  of  your  undergraduate 
course,  fuller  members  of  the  institution  than  you  have  hitherto 
been.  You  will  be  followed  with  watchful  interest  by  those  you 
leave  behind,  and  you  will  turn  back  to  them  with  ever-growing 
affection  and  gratitude.     Faiewell. 

A  march  composed  by  J.  K.  Lncier.  and  played  by  the 
build,  closed  the  exercises,  which,  though  lasting  nearly 
three  honrs  and  a  half,  lield  the  close  attention  of  the 
audience  to  the  end. 

The  exercises,  both  individually  and  collectively,  re- 
ceived very- high  commendation  by  the  press.  Of  the 
literary  exercises  one  writer  says.  "  There  was  manifest 
throughotit  a  thorough  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  the 
subject,  and  it  even  required  a  mental  etlbrt  on  the  part 
of  the  spectators  to  realize  that  the  performers  were  not  in 
full  possession  of  all  faculties  of  bridy  as  well  as  of  mind  ;  " 
and  a  musical  critic  says,  "  The  outcome  of  such  a  con- 
cert must  inspire  fhe  public  with  confidence  in  the  practi- 
cal musicianship  of  the  blind." 


134  IXSTITUTION   FOR   THE    BLTND.       [Oct. 

The  following  lines,  a  voluntary  contribution  from  a 
former  graduate,  were  to  have  ])een  read,  but  were 
crowded  out  hy  lack  of  time. 

LINES   FOR    THE   FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY. 
Bv  P.  Reeves. 

The  da}'  was  dawning  o'er  us 

Just  fifty  3'ears  ago, 

And  now  we  sing  in  chorus, 

Though  the  master  is  laid  low. 

To  him  we  pa}'  a  tribute, 

And  for  him  we  wdll  iiray  : 

For  he  changed  the  clouded  night 

To  a  brigiit  and  sunny  day. 

A  darker  night  in  Egypt 

The  Egyptians  never  saw  ; 

He  found  us  in  the  darkness, 

He  travelled  near  and  far, 

And  the  most  atflicted  ones 

He  gathered  in  a  banrl. 

Taught  them  how  to  read  and  write. 

And  led  them  by  the  hand. 

He  gave  his  time  and  talents 
To  educate  the  blind. 
The  star  is  slill  ascendant : 
His  work  is  well  defined. 
Dr.  Howe,  —  the  name  we  love 
And  ever  shall  revere  ! 
Blest  among  the  saints  above. 
His  chair  is  vacant  liere. 

They  knew  him  in  the  East, 

They  knew  him  in  the  West ; 

In  deeds  of  love  and  mercy 

He  ranks  among  the  best. 

And  we  should  all  be  thankful, 

And  ever  happy  be. 

And  i^raise  the  man  and  master 

♦ 
Who  made  us  proud  and  free. 


1882.]        PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — Xo.  27.  185 

COKRESPONDEKCE. 


The  following  letters  were  sent  in  response  to  invita- 
tions to  take  part  in  the  celebration  of  the  semi-centennial 
anniversary  : 

Letter  from  Governor  Littlefield. 

State  of  Rhode  Island,  Executive  Department, 

Pkovidence,  June  7,  1882. 

My  Dear  Sir:  —  I  desire  Ihrough  you  to  thank  the  commit- 
tee of  arrangements  for  an  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  serai- 
centennial  anniversary  of  the  "Perkins  Institution  for  the 
Blind,"  to  be  held  in  connection  with  the  commencement  exer- 
cises of  3^our  school,  on  the  13th  inst. 

I  regret  to  sa}-  I  am  obliged  to  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of 
being  with  you  on  that  day,  on  account  of  public  duties,  which 
call  me  to  Newport. 

I  feel  the  disappointment  keenlj^  as  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
some  weeks  since  to  be  with  you  on  that  occasion,  which  I  sup- 
posed would  occur  a  few  days  later  in  the  month. 

I  am  pleased  to  see  our  little  commonwealtii  so  well  repre- 
sented on  3'our  programme.  I  am  sure  the  scholars  from  this 
anxl  other  states  will  perform  the  part  assigned  them  to  the  full 
satisfaction  of  teachers  and  friends,  and  with  credit  to  the  insti- 
tution over  which  you  preside  with  such  marked  ability.  May 
it  be  your  pleasure  on  that  day  to  report  the  one  hunched  thou- 
sand dollars  printing  fund  complete,  and  may  the  good  work  of 
the  institution  be  extended  and  streugtheued  with  each  succes- 
sive year,  until  every  child  in  New  England,  deprived  of  sight, 
may  share  its  benefits. 

Permit  me  to  extend  the  cordial  congratulations  of  the  people 
of  Rhode  Island  to  your  presiding  officer.  His  Excellency  the 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  your  distin- 
guished orator  of  the  day,  the  committee  of  arrangements,  and 
all  engaged  in  the  celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  anniversary 
of  your  noble  institution. 

Faithfully'  3'Oui-s, 

A.  H.  Littlefield, 
Prof.  M.  Anagnos, 

Boston,  Mass. 


136  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE   BLIND.        [Oct. 

Letter  from  Mr.  William  Chapin  of  Philadelphia. 

The  revered  and  honored  principal  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Institution  for  the  Blind,  Mr.  William  Chapin,  whose  noble 
life  has  l)een  devoted  to  the  cause. of  the  blind,  not  being 
able  to  l)e  present  at  the  celebration,  sent  the  following 
letter  :  — 

Penn.  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the  Blind, 

Philadelphia,  June  13,  1882. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Anagnos  : — I  have  failed  to  acknowledge 
your  kind  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  semi-centennial  anni' 
versqry  and  commericement  exercises  of  j'our  school,  which  are 
really  in  full  accomplishment  at  the  time  of  this  writing  (Tues- 
day, 4  p.  M.)  I  regret  the  necessity  of  m}'  absence,  for  I  much 
enjoy  such  commemorations.  Your  programme  presents  a  very 
happy  and  appropriate  variety  of  exercises  ;  and  I  shall  hope  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  reading  the  address  of  the  occasion,  by 
Col.  Higginson. 

Be  so  kind  as  to  furnish  me  with  any  paper  which  may  give 
a  report  of  the  exercises. 

Your  institution  stands  pre-eminent  in  our  country.     And  its 

present  director  abl}^  sustains  the  prestige  which  it  gained  by  its 

eminent  founder.  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe.     Believe  me  to  be. 

Very  truly  your  friend, 

William  Chapin. 
M.  Anagnos,  Esq. 


Letter  from  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe. 

Boston,  June  13,  1882. 

My  Dear  Friends  :  —  It  is  with  a  regretful  heart  that  I  turn 
my  steps  westward  toda}^,  in  compliance  with  an  engagement 
which  I  made  in  ignorance  of  the  precise  date  of  j'our  seini- 
centeunial  celebration.  Though  absent  in  person,  my  heart  will 
be  with  you  at  your  festival ;  and  my  most  earnest  good  wishes 
will  always  attend  the  progi'ess  of  the  institution  whose  past  fifty 
years  make  us  hope  for  still  nobler  achievements  in  the  future. 
Yours  most  affectionately, 

Julia  Wart>  Howe. 


1882.]         PUBLIC   DOCUMENT  — No.  27.  137 

Despatch  from  Mr.  B.  B.  Huntoon. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  June  14,  1882. 
To  M.  Anagnos,  Supt.  Inst,  for  the  Blind: 

The  Kentucky  Institution  for  the  Blind,  as  one  of  the  children, 
sends  congratulations  upon  the  celebration  of  the  golden  wed- 
ding between  the  hearts  of  all   New  England  and   the  Perkins 

Institution  for  the  Blind. 

B.  B.    HUNTOON,  Svpt. 


Letter  from  Mr.  Otis  Patten. 
Mr.  Otis  Patten,  superintendent  of  the  Arkansas  insti- 
tution for  the  blind,  and   one  of  the  early    pupils  of  Dr. 
Howe,  explained  his  absence  from  the  festival  in  the  fol- 
lowing letter : — 

Arkansas  School  fok  the  Blind, 

Little  Rock,  Ark.,  June  10,  1882. 

Gentlemen  : —  Your  kind  invitation  to  attend  the  semi- 
centennial celebration  of  the  Perkins  Institution  for  Blind  I 
found  waiting  me  this  evening  on  my  return  home  after  nearly 
a  week's  absence.  I  regret  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  be  present 
on  that  interesting  occasion,  as  my  own  school  does  not  close 
till  the  27th  inst.,  and.  we  are  very  busy  preparing  for  the  closing 
exercises.  I  had  hoped  that  your  celebration  would  be  later  in 
the  season,  and  looked  forward  to  it  with  many  pleasant  antici- 
pations. I  entered  the  Perkins  Institution  as  a  pupil  nearly 
forty-seven  years  ago,  and  whatever  of  success  I  have  had  in 
life  I  owe  in  great  measure  to  that  school,  and  to  its  noble 
founder,  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe,  whose  kindness  to  me,  an  orphan 
boy,  is  among  my  most  precious  memories. 
Yours  respectfully, 

OTIS  PATTEN. 
To  Messrs  J.  S.  D wight, 

Samuel  M.  Quincy, 
Wm.  F.  Apthokp, 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 


138  IXSTITUTIOX   FOR   THK    BLIND.       [Oct. 


Letter  fkom  J.  Howard  Hunter,  M.  A.,  of  Toronto. 

Mr.  J.  Howard  Hunter,  formerly  principal  of  the 
Ontario  institution  for  the  blind,  and  a  gentleman  of  high 
scholarly  attainments  and  rare  ability,  sent  the  following 
letter  : — 

Office  of  the  Inspector  of  Insurance,  Ontario. 
Parliament  Buildings, 

Toronto,  Canada,  12th  June,  1882. 

My  dear  Anagnos  :  —  I  am  very  greatly  obliged  for  3-our 
kind  invitation  to  the  semi-centennial  of  your  noble  institution 
for  the  blind  ;  but  owing  to  the  pressure  of  official  engagements  I 
must  deu}-  m^-self  the  sincere  pleasure  that  it  would  have  afforded 
to  offer  you,  in  person,  mj'  best  congratulations. 

Now  —  and  formerl}' !  What  a  half  centuiy  for  the  blind  ! 
The  transformation  is  surel}'  the  most  marvellous  that  this  won- 
derful half  century  can  sliow.  What  Boston  and  Howe  and 
Anagnos  have  contributed  towards  tliis  transformation  will,  to 
the  full  extent,  be  admitted  on!}'  when  reflection  ripens  and  when 
the  disturbing  influence  of  personal  rivahy  is  removed.  Com- 
petition, so  valuable  and  necessary  a  spur  in  even  works  of  phil- 
anthrop}'  produces  —  like  au}^  other  sharp  spur  —  a  temporary 
soreness  of  the  sides. 

I  have  often  thought,  will  some  grateful  blind  student  in  the 
better  days  that  are  to  be  become  the  historian  of  the  educa- 
tion of  the  blind?  The  class  for  whom  these  long  ^ears  of 
ceaseless,  anxious,  ingenious  toil  have  been  expended  will 
doubtless  ^ield  a  distinguished  example  of  thankful  recollec- 
tion combined  with  briUiant  literarj-  expression.  Assuredly,  if 
ever  Ihat  histor}-  comes  to  be  written  in  the  spirit  of  gratitude 
or  simple  truth,  your  name,  my  dear  Anagnos,  must  constantly 
recur. 

That  3-ou  would  succeed  in  your  latest  enterprise,  —  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  fund  sufficiently  large  to  keep  your  embos&ing 
presses  constantly  employed,  —  this  was  a  foregone  conchision  : 
for.  though  the  undertaking  seemed  gigantic,  it  was  a  man  of 


1882.]         PUBLIC  DOCUMENT  — No.   27. 


139 


Titanic  energy  tliat  undertook  it.  I  most  sincevel}^  congratulate 
you  and  your  distinguished  board  of  trustees  on  this  happy  issue 
of  your  joint  labors,  which  so  auspiciously  completes  the  half- 
century  of  your  institution  annals. 

With  kindest  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Anaguos  and  my  Boston 
friends, 

Yours,  ver}^  faithfully, 

J.  HOWARD  HUNTER. 


FIFTY-SECOND  ANNUAL  KEPOKT 


THE    TKUSTEES 


PERKINS    INSTITUTION 


(Pajifincluifjctts  ^rliool  for  the  §IiiuI, 


FOR   THE    TEAR   ENDING 


SEPTEMBER   30,    1883. 


BOSTON : 

WRIGHT  &  POTTER  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS, 

18  Post  Office  Square. 

1884. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Communication  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 4 

Officers  of  the  Corporation, 5 

Officers  of  the  Institution, 6 

Members  of  the  Corporation, 7 

Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Corporation,      .         .  13 

Report  of  the  Trustees, 15 

Commencement  Exercises,  p.  17.  —  The  Appeal  for  a  Kindergarten, 
p.  18.  —  Finances,  p.  20.  —  Repairs  and  Improvements,  p.  22. — 
Embossing  Books  for  the  Blind,  p.  23.  —  Work  Department  for 
Adults,  p.  25.  —  Closing  Remarks,  p.  27. 

The  Report  of  the  Director,  ........       29 

Number  of  Inmates,  p.  32.  —  Health  of  the  Household,  p.  33.  —  Govern- 
ment and  Discipline,  p.  35.  —  Plan  of  Operations,  p.  36.  —  Literary 
Department,  p.  38.  —  Music  Department,  p.  43. ^Tuning  Depart- 
ment, p.  47. — Technical  Department,  p.  .50. — Workshop  for  the 
Boys,  p.  51.  —  Work-rooms  for  the  Girls,  p.  52.  —  Department  of 
Physical  Training,  p.  54.  —  Give  us  a  Kindergarten,  p.  56.  —  Nota- 
ble Anniversaries,  p.  76.  —  Aid  those  who  strive  to  help  themselves, 
p.  78.  —  The  Blessings  of  the  Printing  Fund,  p.  80.  —Conclusion,  p.  81. 

Acknowledgments, 83 

The  Report  of  the  Treasurer,        .... 

Account  of  the  Auditors  with  the  Director,  .... 

Analysis  of  Expenditures  for  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1882, 

Expenses  of  the  Printing  Department,  .... 

General  Abstract  of  Account  of  the  Work  Department, 

Inventory  of  Stock,  Oct.  1,  1883, 

List  of  Embossed  Books, 

List  of  Appliances  and  Tangible  Appai'atus, 

Terms  of  Admission, 


APPENDIX 

The  Blind  Children's  Kindergarten,  by  Emilie  Poulsson, 
List  of  contributors  to  the  Kindergarten  fund,   . 


88 
90 
91 
92 
93 
94 
96 
98 
100 
105 
107 
124 


(Kommonlxrealt^  of  Passat^setts. 


PERiaNS  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Oct.  23,  1883. 

To  the  Hon.  Henry  B.  Peirce,  Secretary  of  Slate,  Boston. 

Dear  Sir  :  —  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you,  for 
the  use  of  the  legislature,  a  copy  of  the  fifty-second  an- 
nual report  of  the  trustees  of  this  institution  to  the  corpo- 
ration thereof,  together  with  the  usual  acconcipanying 
docuoients. 

Respectfully, 

M.   ANAGNOS, 

Sec7'€tary. 


OFFICEKS  OF   THE   CORPOKATION. 

1883-84. 


SAMUEL  ELIOT,  President. 
JOHN   CUMMINGS,  Vice-President. 
EDWARD  JACKSON,  Treasurer. 
M.  ANAGNOS,  Secretary. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 


FRANCIS  BROOKS. 

JOHN   S.   DWIGHT. 

M.  ENGELHARDT. 

JOSEPH  B.   GLOVER. 

J.  THEODORE  HEARD,  M.D. 

EDWARD   N.   PERKINS. 


JOHN  C.  PHILLIPS. 
SAMUEL  M.   QUINCY, 
SAMUEL   G.   SNELLING. 
JAMES    STURGIS. 
GEORGE   W.   WALES. 
JOHN   H.    WETHERBEE, 


STANDING    COMMITTEES. 

Monthly  Visiting  Committee, 
Whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Institution  at  least  once  in  each  month. 


January, 
February, 
March,  . 
April,  . 
May,  . 
June, 


1884. 


F.  Bkooks. 

.1.    S.    D WIGHT. 

M.  Engelhardt. 
J.  B.  Glovee. 
.1.    r.  Heard. 
K.  N.  Perkins. 


July,  .  . 
August,  . 
September, 
October,  . 
November, 
December, 


1884. 

.  J.  C.  Phillips. 

.  S.  M.  QuiNCY. 

.  S.  G.  Snelling. 

.  James  Sturgis. 

.  G.  W.  Wales. 

.  J.  II.  Wetherbee. 


Committee  on  Education. 
J.   S.  DwiGHT. 

Francis  Brooks. 
S.  M.  QriNCY. 


House  Committee. 

E.  N.  Perkins. 
G.  W.  Wales. 
Francis  Brooks. 


Committee  on  Finance. 

J.  B.  Glover. 
James  Sturgis. 
John  C.  Phillips. 


Committee  on  Health. 

J.  Theodore  Heard. 
M.  Engelhardt. 
J.  H.  Wetherbee. 


Auditors  of  Accounts. 

Samuel  G.  Snelling. 
James  Sturgis. 


OFFICEES   OF  THE   i:N^STITUTIO]Sr. 


DIRECTOR. 
M.    ANAGNOS. 


MEDICAL   INSPECTOR. 
JOHN    ROMANS,    M.D. 


LITERARY    DEPARTMENT. 


Miss  Julia  Roxana  Oilman. 
Miss  Etta  S.  Adams. 
Miss  Frances  B.  Winslow. 
Miss  Julia  A.  Boylan. 


Miss  Bella  Bennett. 
Miss  Maky  C.  Moore. 
Miss  Cora  A.  Newton. 
Miss  Emma  A.  Coolidge. 


Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Lane,  Librarian. 


MUSICAL  DEPARTMENT. 


Thomas  Reeves. 
Frank  H.  Kilbourne. 
Miss  Freda  Black. 
Miss  Mary  L.  Riley. 
Miss  Lucy  A.  Hammond. 
Miss  Annie  Keith. 
Miss  Mary  A.  Proctor. 


Mrs.  Kate  Rametti. 

C.    H.    HiGGINS. 

Ezra  M.  Bagley. 
Julius  Akeroyd. 

Music  Readers. 
Miss  Allie  S.  Knapp. 
Miss  Caroline  L.  Bates. 


TUNING  DEPARTMENT. 

JOEL  WEST  SMITH,  Instructor  and  Manager. 

OEORGE   E.   hart,    Tuner. 


INDUSTRIAL    DEPARTMENT. 


Workrooms  for  Juveniles. 

John  H.  Wright,   Work  Master. 
Miss  A.  J.  Dillingham,  Work  Mistress. 
Miss  OoRA  L.  Davis,  Assistant. 
Thomas  Carroll,  Assistant. 


Workshop  for  Adults. 

Anthony  W.  Bowden,  Manager. 
P.  Morrill,  Foreman. 
Miss  M.  A.  DwELLY,  Foreiooman. 
Miss  Mattie  M.  Stone,  Clerk. 


DOMESTIC   DEPARTMENT. 


Steward. 
Anthony  W.  Boavden. 

Matron. 
Miss  Maria  C.  Moulton. 
Miss  Dora  M.  Morrell,  Assistant. 


Housekeepers  in  the  Cottages, 

Mrs.  M.  a.  Knoavlton. 
Mrs.  L.  S.  Smith. 
Miss  Bessie  Wood. 
Mrs.  Sophia  C.  Hopkins. 


PRINTING   DEPARTMENT. 

Dennis  A.  Reardon,  ....     Manager. 
Miss  Elizabeth  S.  Howe,  Printer. 
Miss  Martha  F.  Rowell,        " 


Miss  Ellen  B.  Webster,  Book-keeper. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


All  persons  who  have  contributed  twenty-five  dollars  to 
the  funds  of  the  institution,  all  who  have  served  as  trustees 
or  treasurer,  and  all  who  have  been  elected  by  special  vote, 
are  members. 


Adams,  John  A.,  Providence. 
Adams,  Waldo,  Boston. 
Aldrich,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  Boston. 
Ames,  F.  L.,  Boston. 
Ames,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  Boston. 
Ames,  Oliver,  Boston. 
Amory,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Amory,  James  S.,  Boston, 
Amory,  William,  Boston. 
Amory,  Mrs.  William,  Boston. 
Anagnos,  M.,  Boston. 
Andrews,  Francis,  Boston. 
Anthony,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence. 
Appleton,  Miss  Emily  G.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  T.  G.,  Boston. 
Appleton,  Mrs.  William,  Boston. 
Apthorp,  William  F.,  Boston. 
Arnold,  A.  B.,  Providence. 
Atkins,  Mrs.  Elisha,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Atkinson,  William,  Boston. 
Austin,  Edward,  Boston. 
Aylesworth,  H.  B.,  Providence. 
Baldwin,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  M.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  W.,  Dorchester. 
Baker,  Ezra  H.,  Boston. 
Baker,  Miss  M.  K.,  Boston. 
Barbom-,  E.  D.,  Boston. 
Barker,  Joseph  A.,  Providence. 


Barstow,  Amos  C,  Providence. 
Barrows,  Rev.  S.  J.,  Dorchester. 
Beal,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Beard,  Hon.  Alanson  W.,  Boston. 
Beckwith,  Miss  A.  G.,  Providence. 
Beckwith,  Mrs.  T.,  Providence. 
Beebe,  J.  A.,  Boston. 
Bennett,  Mrs.  Eleanor,  Billerica. 
Bigelow,  E.  B.,  Boston. 
Blnney,  William,  Providence. 
Black,  G.  N.,  Boston. 
Blake,  G.  Baty,  Boston. 
Blake,  James  H.,  Boston. 
Blanchard,  G.  D.  B.,  Maiden. 
Bourn,  A.  O.,  Providence. 
Bouve,  Thomas  T.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  Mrs.  E.  B  ,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bowditch,  Mrs.  J.  I.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  Mrs.  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Bradlee,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Brewer,  Miss  C.  A.,  Boston. 
Brewer,  Mrs.  Mary,  Boston. 
Brewster,  Osmyn,  Boston. 
Brimmer,  Hon.  Martin,  Boston 
Brooks,  Francis,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Mrs.  F.  A.,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Peter  C,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Rev.  Phillips,  Boston. 
Brooks,  Shepherd,  Boston. 


8 


Brooks,  Mrs.  Susau  O.,  Boston. 
BroAvn,  John  A.,  Providence. 
Brown,  Mrs.  John  C,  Providence. 
Browne,  A.  Parkei",  Boston. 
Bullard,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Bullock,  Miss  Julia,  Providence. 
Bund} ,  James  J.,  Providence. 
Burnett,  Joseph,  Boston. 
Cabot,  Mrs.  Samuel,  Sen.,  Boston. 
Cabot,  W.  C,  Boston. 
Callender,  Walter,  Providence. 
Carpenter,  Charles  E.,  Providence. 
Cary,  Mrs.  W.  F.,  Boston. 
Chandler,  P.  W.,  Boston. 
Chandler, Theophilus  P.,Brookline. 
Chace,  J.  H.,  Providence. 
Chace,  J.,  Providence. 
Chapin,  E.  P.,  Providence. 
Chase,  Mrs.  Theodore,  Boston. 
Cheever,  Dr.  David  W.,  Boston. 
Chenej',  Benjamin  P.,  Boston. 
Chickering,  Geoi'ge  H.,  Boston. 
Childs,  Alfred  A.,  Boston. 
Claflin,  Hon.  William,  Boston. 
Clapp,  William  W.,  Boston. 
Clarke,  Mrs.  Jas.  Freeman,  Boston. 
Clement,  Edward  H.,  Boston. 
Coats,  James,  Providence. 
Cobb,  Samuel  C,  Boston. 
Cobb,  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Cochrane,  Alexander,  Boston. 
Coffin,  Mrs.  W.  E.,  Boston. 
Colt,  Samuel  P.,  Providence. 
Conant,   Mrs.   Rebecca,  Amherst, 

N.  H. 
Coolidge,  Dr.  A.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Coolidge,  Mrs.  J.  T.,  Boston. 
Corliss,  George  IL,  Providence. 
Cotting,  C.  U.,  Boston. 
Crane,  Zenas  M.,  Dalton. 
Crosby,  Joseph  B.,  Boston. 
Crosby,  William  S.,  Boston. 
Cruit,  Miss  Annah  P.,  Boston. 


Cruft,  Miss  Harriet  O.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Charles  A.,  Boston. 
Cummings,  Hon.  John,  Woburn. 
Curtis,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Curtis,  Mrs.  Margarette  S.,  Boston. 
Dana,  Mrs.  Samuel  T.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Dalton,  Mrs.  C.  H.,  Boston. 
Danielson,  G.  W.,  Providence. 
Darling,  L.  B.,  Providence. 
Davis,  Miss  A.  W.,  Boston, 
Day,  Daniel  E.,  Providence. 
Deblois,  Stephen  G.,  Boston. 
Denny,  George  P.,  Boston. 
Devens,  Rev.  Samuel  A.,  Boston. 
Ditson,  Oliver,  Boston. 
Dix,  J.  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Dunnell,  Jacob,  Providence. 
Dwight,  John  S.,  Boston. 
Eaton,  W.  S.,  Boston. 
Eliot,  Dr.  Samuel,  Boston. 
Emery,  Francis  F.,  Boston. 
Emery,  Isaac,  Boston. 
Emmons,  Mrs.  Nath'l  H.,  Boston. 
English,  Jas.  E.,  New  Haven,Conn. 
Endicott,  Henry,  Boston. 
Endicott,  William,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Ernst,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Farnam,  Mrs.  A.  G.,  New  Haven. 
Fay,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Mrs.  H.  H  ,  Boston. 
Fay,  Miss  Sarah  B.,  Boston. 
Fay,  Mrs.  Sarah  S.,  Boston. 
Fellows,  R.  J.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Ferris,  M.  C,  Boston. 
Fisk,  Rev.  Photius,  Boston. 
Fiske,  J.  N.,  Boston. 
Folsom,  Charles  F.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Forbes,  J.  M.,  Milton. 
Foster,  F.  C,  Boston. 
Freeman,  Miss  Hattie  E.,  Boston. 
French,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
Frothingham,  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Frothingham,  Rev.  Fred^k,  Milton. 
Galloupe,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Gammell,  Prof.  Wm.,  Providence. 


9 


Gammell,  Mrs.  Wm.,  Providence. 
Gardiner,  Charles  P.,  Boston. 
Gardiner,  William  H.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George,  Boston. 
Gardner,  George  A.,  Boston. 
Gardner,  Henry  W.,  Providence. 
Gardner,  John  L.,  Boston. 
George,  Charles  H.,  Providence. 
Glidden,  W.  T,  Boston. 
Glover,  A.,  Boston. 
Glover,  J.  B.,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Benjamin,  Brookline. 
Goddard,  Miss  Matilda,  Boston. 
Goddard,  Miss  Rebecca,  Boston. 
Goddard,  T.  P.  L,  Providence. 
Goddard,  William,  Providence. 
Goff,  Darius  L.,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 
GotF,  L.  B.,  Pawtucket. 
Gray,  Mi"s.  Horace,  Boston. 
Greene,  Benj.  F.,  Providence. 
Greene,  S.  H.,  Providence. 
Greenleaf,  Mrs.  Jas.,  Charlestown. 
Greenleaf,  R.  C,  Boston. 
Grosvenor,  William,  Providence. 
Grover,  William  O.,  Boston. 
Guild,  Mrs.  S.  E.,  Boston. 
Hale,  Rev.  Edward  E.,  Boston. 
Hale,  George  S.,  Boston. 
Hall,  J.  R.,  Boston. 
Hall,  Miss  L.  E.,  Charlestown. 
Hardy,  Aljjheus,  Boston. 
Haskell,  Edwin  B.,  Auburndale. 
Hay  ward,  Hon.  Wm.S., Providence. 
Hazard,  Rowland,  Providence. 
Heard,  J.  T.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Hemenway,  Mrs.  A.,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Hendricken,  Rt.  Rev.  T.  F.,  Provi- 
dence. 
Higginsou,  George,  Boston. 
Higginson,  Henry  Lee,  Boston. 
Hill,  Hon.  Hamilton  A.,  Boston. 
Hill,  Mrs.  T.  J.,  Providence. 
Hilton,  William,  Boston. 
Hogg,  John,  Boston. 
Hooper,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Hooper,  R.  W.,  M.D.,  Boston. 


Hoppin,  Hon.  W.  W.,  Providence. 
Hovey,  George  O.,  Boston. 
Hovey,  William  A.,  Boston. 
Howard,  Hon.  A.  C,  Providence. 
Howard,  Mrs.  Chas.  W.,  California. 
Howard,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward,  Boston. 
Howes,  Miss  E.,  Boston. 
Houghton,  Hon.  H.  O.,  Cambridge. 
Hunnewell,  F.  W.,  Boston. 
Hunnewell,  H.  H.,  Boston. 
Hunt,  Moses,  Charlestown. 
Hyatt,  Alpheus,  Cambridge. 
Inches,  H.  B.,  Boston. 
Ives,  Mrs.  Anna  A.,  Providence. 
Jackson,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Edward,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  J.  B.  S.,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Patrick  T.,  Boston. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Boston. 
Jarvis,  Edward,  M.D.,  Dorchester. 
Johnson,  Samuel,  Boston 
Jones,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Joy,  Mrs.  Charles  H.,  Boston. 
Kellogg,  Mrs.  Eva  D.,  Boston. 
Kendall,  C.  S.,  Boston. 
Kennard,  Martin  P.,  Brookline. 
Kent,  Mrs  Helena  M.,  Boston. 
Kidder,  H.  P.,  Boston. 
Kinsley,  E.  W.,  Boston. 
Lang,  B.  J.,  Boston. 
Lawi'ence,  Abbott,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  Longwood. 
Lawrence,  Edward,  Charlestown. 
Lawrence,  Mrs.  James,  Boston. 
Lawrence,  William,  Lawrence. 
Lee,  Henry,  Boston. 
Lincoln,  L.  J.  B  ,  Hingham. 
Linzee,  J.  W.,  Boston. 
Linzee,  Miss  Susan  I.,  Boston. 
Lippitt,  Hon.  Henry,  Providence. 
Littell,  Miss  S.  G.,  Brookline 
Little,  J.  L.,  Boston. 
Littlefield,  A.  H.,  Pawtucket. 
Littlefield,  I).  G.,  Pawtucket. 
Lockwood,  A.  D.,  Providence. 


10 


Lodge,  Mrs.  A.  C,  Bo;-ton. 
Lodge,  Henry  C,  P)Oston. 
Lord,  Melvin,  Boston. 
Lothrop,  John,  Auburndale. 
Lovett,  George  L.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Abbott  Lawrence,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Augustus,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Miss  A.  C,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Francis  C,  Boston. 
Lowell,  George  G.,  Boston. 
Lowell,  Miss  Lucy,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Arthur  T.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  George  H.,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  J.  P.,  Boston. 
Lyman,  Theodore,  Boston. 
McAuslan,  John,  Providence. 
Mack,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Macullar,  Addison,  Boston. 
Marcy,  Fred  T.,  Providence. 
Marston,  S.  VV.,  Boston. 
Mason,  Miss  E.  F.,  Boston. 
Mason,  Miss  Ida  M.,  Boston. 
Mason,  L.  B.,  Providence. 
May,  Miss  Abby  W.,  Boston. 
May,  F.  W.  G.,  Dorchester. 
McCloy,  J.  A.,  Providence. 
Means,  Rev.  J.  H.,  D.D.,Dorchesh'r. 
Merriam,  Mrs.  Caroline,  Boston. 
Meri'iam,  Charles,  Bo.ston. 
Metcalf,  Jesse,  Providence. 
Minot,  Francis,  M.D.,  Boston. 
Minot,  Mrs.  G.  R.,  Boston. 
Minot,  William,  Boston. 
Mixter,  Miss  Helen  K.,  Boston. 
Mixter,  Miss  Madelaine  C,  Boston. 
Morrill,  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
Morse,  S.  T.,  Boston. 
Morton,  Edwin,  Boston. 
Motley,  Edward,  Boston. 
Nevins,  David,  Boston. 
Nichols,  J.  Howard,  Boston. 
Nichols,  R.  P.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  Andrew,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  Mrs.  A.  T.,  Boston. 
Nickerson,  George,  Jamaica  Plain. 
Nickerson,  Miss  Priscilla,  Boston. 


Nickerson,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Noyes,  Hon.  Charles  J.,  Boston. 
O'Reilly,  John  Boyle,  Boston. 
Osgood,  J.  F.,  Boston. 
Osborn,  John  T.,  Boston. 
Owen,  George,  Providence. 
Paine,  Mrs.  Julia  B.,  Boston. 
Paine,  Robert  Treat,  Jun.,  Boston. 
Palfrey,  J.  C,  Boston. 
Palmer,  John  S.,  Providence. 
Parker,  Mrs.  E.  P.,  Boston. 
Parker,  E.  F.,  Boston. 
Pai'ker,  H.  D.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Henry  G.,  Boston. 
Parker,  Richard  T.,  Boston. 
Parkman,  Francis,  Boston. 
Parkman,  George  F.,  Boston. 
Parsons,  Thomas,  Chelsea. 
Pay  son,  S.  R.,  Boston. 
Peabody,   Rev.  A.  P.,  D.D.,  Cam- 
bridge. 
Peabody,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Peabody,  O.  W.,  Milton. 
Peabody,  S.  E.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  A-  T.,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Charles  C,  Boston. 
Perkins,  Edward  N., Jamaica  Plain. 
Perkins,  William,  Boston. 
Peters,  Edward  D.,  Boston. 
Phillips,  John  C,  Boston. 
Pickett,  John,  Bevei'ly 
Pickman,  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pickman.  Mrs.  W.  D.,  Boston. 
Pierce,  Hon.  H.  L.,  Boston. 
Potter,  Mrs.  Sarah,  Providence. 
Pratt,  Elliott  W.,  Boston. 
Prendergast,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Preston,  Jonathan,  Boston. 
Pulsifer,  R.  M.,  Boston. 
Quincy,  Samuel  M.,  Wollaston. 
Rice,  Hon.  A.  H.,  Boston. 
Rice,  Fitz  James,  Providence. 
Richardson,  George  C,  Boston. 
Richardson,  John,  Boston. 
Bobbins,  R.  E.,  Boston. 
Robeson,  W.  R.,  Boston. 


11 


Robinson,  Henry,  Reading. 
Rodman,  S.  W.,  Boston. 
Rodocanachi,  J.  M.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Henry  B.,  Boston. 
Rogers,  Jacob  C,  Boston. 
Ropes,  J.  C,  Boston. 
Ropes,  J.  S.,  Jamaica  Plain, 
Rotch,  Mrs.  Benjamin  S.,  Boston. 
Russell,  Heniy  G.,  Providence. 
Russell,  Mrs.  Henry  G.,  Providence. 
Russell,  Miss  Marian,  Boston. 
Russell,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  Boston. 
Salisbury,  Stephen,  Worcester. 
Saltonstall,  H.,  Boston. 
Saltonstall,  Leverett,  Newton. 
Sanborn,  Frank  B.,  Concord. 
Sargent,  I.,  Brookline. 
Sayles,  F.  C,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 
Sayles,  W.  F.,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 
Sclilesinger,  Barthold,  Boston. 
Schlesinger,  Sebastian  B.,  Boston. 
Sears,  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  David,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  Fred.,  Jr.,  Boston. 
Sears,  F.  R.,  Boston. 
Sears,  Mrs.  K.  W.,  Boston. 
Seai-s,  Mrs.  S.  P.,  Boston. 
Sears,  W.  T.,  Boston. 
Sharpe,  L.,  Providence. 
Shaw,  Mrs.  G.  H.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Henrj'  S.,  Boston. 
Shaw,  Quincy  A.,  Boston. 
Shepard,  Mrs.  £.  A.,  Providence. 
Sherwood,  W.  H.,  Boston. 
Shimmin,  C.  F.,  Boston. 
Shippen,  Rev.  R.  R.,  Washington. 
Sigourney,  Mrs.  M.  B.,  Boston. 
Slack,  C.  W.,  Boston. 
Slater,  H.  N.,  Jr.,  Providence. 
Snelling,  Samuel  G.,  Boston. 
Spaulding,  J.  P,,  Boston. 
Spaulding,  M.  D.,  Boston. 
Sprague,  S.  S.,  Providence. 
Stanwood,  Edward,  Boston. 
Steere,  Henry  J.,  Providence. 
Stone,  Joseph  L.,  Boston. 


Sturgis,  Francis  S.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Sturgis,  James,  Boston. 
Sullivan,  Richard,  Boston. 
Sweetser,  Mrs.  Anne  M.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  B  W.,  Boston. 
Taggard,  Mrs.  B.  W.,  Boston. 
Thaxter,  Joseph  B.,  Hinghara. 
Thayer,  Miss  Adele  G.,  Boston. 
Thayer,  Miss  A.  G.,  Andover. 
Thayer,  Rev.  George  A.,Cincinnati. 
Thomas,  H.  H.,  Providence. 
Thorndike,  Delia  D.,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Thorndike,  S.  Lothrop,  Cambridge. 
Thurston,  Benj.  F.,  Providence. 
Tingley,  S.  H.,  Providence. 
Tompkins,  Orlando,  Boston. 
Torrej',  Miss  A.  D.,  Boston. 
Troup,  John  E.,  Providence. 
Tucker,  W.  W.,  Boston. 
Tui-ner,  Miss  Abby  W.,  Boston. 
Turner,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  Providence. 
Underwood,  F.  H.,  Boston. 
Upton,  Geo.  B.,  Boston. 
Wales,  George  W.,  Boston. 
Wales,  Miss  Mary  Ann,  Boston. 
Wales,  Thomas  B.,  Boston. 
Ward,  Rev.  Julius  H.,  Boston. 
Ward,  Samuel,  New  York. 
Ware,  Charles  E.,  M.  D.,  Boston. 
Warren,  J.  G.,  Providence. 
Warren,  S.  D.,  Boston. 
Warren,  Mrs.  Wra.  W.,  Boston. 
Washburn,  Hon.  J.  D.,  Worcester. 
Weeks,  A.  G.,  Boston. 
Weeks,  James  H.,  Boston. 
Weld,  R.  H.,  Boston. 
Weld,  Mrs.  W.  F.,  Philadelphia. 
Weld,  W.  G.,  Boston. 
Wesson,  J.  L.,  Boston. 
Wheelwright,  A.  C,  Boston. 
Wheelwright,  John  W.,  Boston. 
White,  B.  C,  Boston. 
White,  C.  J.,  Cambridge. 
Whiting,  Ebenezer,  Boston. 


12 


Whitman,  Sarah  W.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Edward,  Belmont. 
Whitney,  E.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  H.  A.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  H.  M.,  Boston. 
Wliitney,  Mrs.,  Boston. 
Whitney,  Miss,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Miss  Ann,  Boston. 
Wigglesworth,  Edvv.,  M.D., Boston. 
Wio:g'les worth,  Thomas,  Boston. 
Wightman,  W.  B.,  Providence. 
Wilder,   Hon.   Marshall   P.,   Dor- 
chester. 


Willard,  Mrs.  Harry,  New  York. 
Williams,  Geo.  W.  A.,  Boston. 
Winslow,  Mrs.  George,  Roxbuiy. 
Winsor,  J.  B.,  Providence. 
Winthi'op,  Hon.  Robert  C,  Boston. 
Wintlirop,  Mrs.  Robeit  C,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Wolcott,  Mrs.  J.  H.,  Boston. 
Woods,  Henry,  Paris,  France. 
Worthington,  Roland,  Roxbury. 
Young,  Mrs.  B.  L.,  Boston. 
Young,  Charles  L.,  Boston. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  PROCEEDINGS 


ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 


Boston,  Oct.  10,  1883. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  corporation,  duly 
summoned,  was  held  to-day  at  the  institution,  and 
was  called  to  order  by  the  president,  Samuel  Eliot, 
LL.  D.,  at  3  p.  M. 

The  proceedings  of  the  last  annual  meeting  were 
read  by  the  secretary,  and  declared  approved. 

The  report  of  the  trustees  was  presented,  ac- 
cepted, and  ordered  to  be  printed  with  that  of  the 
director  and  the  usual  accompanying  documents. 

The  treasurer,  Mr.  Edward  Jackson,  read  his 
report,  which  was  accepted,  and  ordered  to  be 
printed. 

All  the  officers  of  the  past  year  were  reelected, 
J.  Theodore  Heard,  M.D.,  having  been  chosen  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  absence  abroad  of  Mr. 
Henry  Lee  Higginson. 

The  following  persons  were  afterwards  added  to 
the  list  of  the  members  of  the  corporation  by  a 


u 

unanimous  vote  :  Waldo  Adams,  Edward  Stan- 
wood,  Henry  G.  Parker,  Orlando  Tompkins,  John 
Boyle  O'Reilly,  Francis  H.  Underwood,  C.  W. 
Ernst,  R.  M.  Pulsifer,  Eey.  Julius  H.  Ward  and 
Mrs.  Eva  D.  Kellogg. 

The  meeting  was  then  dissolved,  and  all  in 
attendance  proceeded,  with  the  invited  guests,  to 
visit  the  various  departments  of  the  school  and 
inspect  the  premises. 

M.   ANAGNOS, 

Secretary. 


Commontoealtl^  of  glassat^setts. 


REPORT  OF  THE  TRUSTEES. 


Perkins  Institution  and  Mass.  School  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Oct.  1, 1883. 

To  the  Members  of  the  Corporation. 

Gentlemen:  —  In  compliance  with  the  require- 
ments of  law  and  custom,  we  have  the  honor  to 
present  to  you,  and,  through  you,  to  the  legisla- 
ture, a  brief  account  of  the  history  of  the  insti- 
tution under  our  charge  for  the  financial  year 
ending  Sept  30,  1883. 

There  is  no  significant  event  to  record,  and  no 
important  change  to  notice  in  the  manner  of  con- 
ducting the  affairs  of  the  establishment. 

The  school  has  now  been  fifty-two  years  in 
actual  operation.  Its  successive  annnal  reports 
have  contained  such  full  and  minute  statements  of 
its  internal  concerns,  the  course  and  modes  of 
instruction,  the  management  and  government  of 
the  pupils,  the  accommodations  for  the  health  and 


16 

comfort  of  the  household,  and  the  various  arrange- 
ments for  prosecuting  its  work  successfully,  that  we 
do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  enter  again  upon  the 
details  of  these  topics.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  dur- 
ing the  last  twelve  months  the  usual  good  order 
has  prevailed,  and  the  same  satisfactory  progress 
has  been  made  throughout. 

The  present  total  number  of  blind  persons 
immediately  connected  with  the  institution,  in  all 
its  departments,  is  160.  The  details  of  the  admis- 
sions and  discharges  will  be  given  in  the  report  of 
the  director. 

The  general  health  of  the  inmates  has  not  been 
so  good  as  heretofore.  In  fact,  owing  perhaps  to 
the  protracted  severity  of  the  cold  weather  and 
the  prevalence  of  epidemic  diseases  in  the  city,  the 
amount  of  sickness  has  been  greater  than  usual. 
Besides  the  appearance  of  the  measles  and  other 
ailments,  the  scarlet  fever  suddenly  invaded  the 
household,  and  we  have  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the 
assistant  matron.  Miss  Virtiline  Haskell,  who  died 
of  this  disease  on  the  13th  of  June.  She  was  a 
person  of  good  abilities,  tender  heart  and  excellent 
character,  and  her  memory  will  long  be  cherished 
by  all  who  knew  her. 

The  affairs  of  the  institution  have  been  admin- 
istered acceptably  to  our  board,  and  advanta- 
geously to  the  recij)ients  of  its  benefits. 

The  report  of  the  director  will  show  that  the 
school  is  well  equipped  in  all  its  departments,  and 


17 

that  the  officers  and  teachers  have  performed  their 
respective  duties  with  their  accustomed  fidehty  and 
ability. 

Members  of  our  board  who  have  made  frequent 
visits  to  the  institution,  have  observed  that  the 
best  feelings  exist  between  the  members  of  the 
household,  and  that  proper  attention  is  paid  to  the 
comfort  of  the  children,  and  due  care  is  bestowed 
upon  their  mental  development,  physical  training 
and  moral  improvement. 

Commencement  Exercises. 

These  exercises  were  held  at  Tremont  Temple 
on  Tuesday,  June  5,  at  3  p.  m.  Tickets  of  ad- 
mission, with  a  circular  of  invitation,  were  sent 
to  all  the  members  of  the  corporation,  and  to  the 
benefiictors  and  friends  of  the  institution.  Every 
seat  was  occupied,  and  a  large  number  of  appli- 
cants were  refused  admission  for  want  of  room. 

Our  president,  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot,  occupied  the 
chaii',  and  made  a  brief  but  exceedingly  eloquent 
'  and  admirably  pertinent  address,  in  which,  amono- 
Other  things,  he  said  that  "the  institution  has 
existed  deep  and  strong  in  the  benevolence  of  its 
founders  and  the  community  for  fifty  years,  and 
will  exist  deeper  and  strongei-  for  many  a  half 
century  to  come.  It  makes  no  unusual  claim,  and 
asks  for  no  exceptional  sympathy.  It  only  shows 
that,  while  all  education  is  interesting,  in  that  it 
overcomes  difficulties,  here  it  overcomes  far  more 


18 

than  ordinary  difficulties."  He  also  spoke  earnest 
words  of  friendly  encouragement  and  wise  counsel 
to  the  six  graduates  who  received  their  diplomas 
at  his  hands. 

The  exercises  of  the  school  were  of  unusual 
interest,  and  gave  not  only  pleasure,  but  a  real 
surprise  to  the  immense  audience.  They  were 
brief,  appropriate,  incisive,  convincing  and  spark- 
ling with  taking  points.  They  reflected  credit  of 
the  very  highest  kind  on  the  assiduity  and  industry 
of  the  pupils,  on  the  talents  and  fidelity  of  their 
teachers,  and  on  the  completeness  and  efficiency 
of  the  educational  advantages  afforded  by  the 
institution. 

It  might  have  been  feared  that,  after  the  novelty 
of  the  spectacle  had  begun  to  lose  its  freshness, 
the  interest  which  the  exercises  of  our  pupils 
originally  excited  in  the  public  mind  would  gradu- 
ally subside.  But,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  happy 
to  report  that  each  successive  year  shows  an 
increase  of  interest. 

The  Appeal  for  a  Kindergarten. 

The  kindergarten  exercises^  wei"e  made  a  special 
feature  in  the  festival,  and  the  greatest  interest 
centered  about  them.  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris  of  Con- 
cord made  an  excellent  address,  in  which  he  spoke 
earnestly  of  the  peculiar  significance  and  value  of 
Froebel's  system;  and  his  remarks  were  heartily 
applauded. 


19 

A  brief  circular,  printed  in  raised  characters 
and  distributed  extensively  among  the  audience, 
called  attention  to  the  need  of  money  to  establish 
a  primary  school  for  the  many  little  sightless  chil- 
dren, who  are  now,  at  the  tenderest  and  most 
impressionable  age,  either  neglected  or  being  per- 
verted in  a  vicious  atmosphere.  We  quote  as 
follows :  — 

"  With  all  the  progress  and  advancement,  our  S3'stem  of 
education  for  the  blind  is  not  yet  complete.  A  vital  element  is 
still  lacking  for  its  perfection. 

"•  There  is  in  New  England  a  large  number  of  blind  children 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  nine,  who  are  too  young  to  be 
received  in  a  mixed  school  like  ours.  They  live  and  move  in 
a  very  unhealthy  atmosphere.  Their  minds  are  contaminated 
b}'  low  influences,  and  their  growth  is  stinted  by  confinement  in 
ill-ventilated  and  comfortless  quarters.  Tliey  waste  away  under 
the  rust  of  neglect  and  the  want  of  sufficient  food  and  proper 
care. 

"Humanity,  justice,  expediency  and  imperative  duty,  all 
alike  demand  that  immediate  and  vigorous  measures  should  be 
taken  for  the  establishment  and  endowment  of  such  a  school  as 
will  be  not  only  an  auxiliary,  V)ut  a  complement  to  our  institu- 
tion." 

The  force  of  this  call  was  increased  tenfold  by 
the  exquisite  work  of  the  little  boys  and  girls  of 
the  kindergarten  classes.  They  demonstrated  in  a 
most  practical  and  convincing  manner  the  great 
promise  and  possibilities  of  this  fruitful  branch  of 
education,  and  pleaded  eloquently  and  fervently  by 
the  deftness  of   their  fingers    the  cause   of  their 


20 


smaller  brothers  and  sisters  in  misfortune,  for 
whose  early  instruction  and  training  there  is  no 
provis'on  whatever. 

The  number  of  self-supporting  and  independent 
blind  men  and  women  will  increase  in  proportion 
to  the  efficiency  and  thoroughness  of  this  early 
training,  and  beggary  and  the  sum  of  human 
suffering  will  diminish  correspondingly. 

Such  is  the  scope  and  character  of  this  new 
enterprise.  The  favor  with  which  its  announce- 
ment has  been  received  by  the  leading  newspapers 
of  JS^ew  England  is  already  a  powerful  encourage- 
ment, and  we  trust  that  the '  community  will  be 
disposed  to  give  it  the  support  which  it  merits.  It 
is  hard  to  conceive  of  a  more  pi'actical  or  less 
objectionable  form  of  beneficence.  It  is  based 
upon  sound  principles  and  aims  at  great  i-esults. 
May  it  commend  itself  to  the  reason  as  well  as  the 
hearts  of  those  to  whom  much  has  been  given,  and 
who  wish  so  to  employ  their  trust  as  to  make  it 
produce  the  greatest  good  in  the  present  and  in 
the  future. 

Fina:nces. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  examined  and 
approved  by  the  auditing  committee  of  the  corpo- 
ration, is  herewith  presented. 

It  shows  the  finances  of  the  institution  to  be  in 
a  satisfactory  condition,  and  may  be  condensed  as 
follows :  — 


21 


Cash  in  hands  of  treasurer,  general 

fund,  Oct  1,  1882,        .         .         .        $8,650  43 

Total  receipts  of  the  treasurer  from 

all  sources  during  the  year,  .         .      100,128  99 

$108,779   42 

His  total  expenditures  and  investments,         .         .      106,055  11 


Cash  balance  in  treasury,       ....        $2,724  31 

To  facilitate  a  thorough  and  minute  examination 
of  the  expenses  of  the  estabUshment,  the  treas- 
urer's report  is  accompanied  by  an  aualysis  of  the 
director's  account,  which  gives  specific  information 
in  regard  to  the  principal  articles  consumed,  with 
prices  paid.  By  this  all  items  of  expense  may  be 
seen  at  a  glance. 

Frugality  and  rigid  economy  have  been  prac- 
tised in  the  administration  of  the  institution,  and 
no  expense  has  been  incurred  which  was  not  obvi- 
ously required  either  for  the  efficiency  of  the 
school  or  for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  house- 
hold. 

In  the  management  of  the  funds  strict  accounta- 
bility has  been  invariably  observed.  All  moneys 
are  received  by  the  treasurer,  and  paid  out  by  him 
upon  written  requisitions  of  the  auditors,  who  act 
in  place  of  an  executive  committee.  They  scruti- 
nize the  accounts  of  current  expenses  at  the  end 
of  each  month,  and  not  one  dollar  is  allowed  by 
them,  except  upon  exhibition  of  a  proper  voucher. 

We  should  do  injustice  to  our  feelings  if  we  did 
not  express  our  high  appreciation  of  the  valuable 


22 

services  readily  and  gratuitously  rendered  both  by 
the  ti'easurer  of  the  corporation,  Mr.  Edward 
Jackson,  and  the  members  of  the  auditing  com- 
mittee, Messrs.  Samuel  G.  Snelling  and  James 
Sturgis. 

We  feel  the  need  of  larger  funds  for  every 
department  of  the  institution.  We  must  look  to 
benevolent  and  high-minded  citizens  for  an  endow- 
ment fund,  which  will  yield  a  sufficient  annual 
income  for  the  wants  of  the  school,  and  secure  its 
independence  permanently,  so  that  it  may  continue 
to  be  second  to  none  in  the  educational  facilities 
which  it  offers. 

Repairs  a^b  Impkovements. 

Although  there  has  been  a  great  deal  done  in  the 
way  of  repairs  and  improvements  dui-ing  the  last 
eight  or  ten  years,  still,  both  the  internal  and  exter- 
nal condition  of  most  of  our  buildings,  especially 
the  formei',  is  yet  very  far  from  what  it  ought  to 
be.  Walls,  ceilings,  floors,  windows,  doors,  stair- 
cases, all  seem  more  or  less  out  of  order,  and 
require  constant  and  steady  attention.  Hence  the 
work  of  renovation  w^as  again  taken  up  during  the 
summer  vacation,  and  carried  forward  as  many 
steps  as  the  means  at  our  disposal  would  allow. 

The  four  cottages  for  the  girls  have  been 
thoroughly  attended  to,  and  put  in  excellent  con- 
dition. The  plastering  has  been  repaired  through- 
out, the  walls  and  woodwork  painted   in  various 


23 


tints,  the  mantelpieces  reset,  and  all  defects  care- 
fully remedied,  so  far  as  they  could  be  discovered. 

In  the  main  building  about  one  thousand  yards 
of  plastering  have  been  renewed,  and  the  walls  of 
ten  chambers  and  three  of  the  lower  entries  have 
been  painted;  while  in  one  of  the  latter,  the  dilapi- 
dated doors  and  frames  have  been  replaced  by 
new  ones  of  hard  wood,  and  the  entire  hall  has 
been  wainscotted. 

Moreover,  the  matron's  sitting-room  has  been 
completely  renovated,  tastefully  decorated,  and 
made  very  comfortable  and  attractive. 

Several  other  repairs  and  improvements  of  a 
minor  character  have  been  carried  out  with  a  view 
to  increasing  the  conveniences,  promoting  the 
health,  and  securing  the  safety  of  the  house- 
hold. 

The  accomplishment  of  this  work  has  cost  the 
institution  the  sum  of  $3,461.76.  This  amount  of 
money,  like  all  others  previously  applied  for  the 
same  purpose,  was  mainly  spent  for  the  mei'e 
preservation  of  the  buildings  from  further  deca}'- 
and  deterioration,  without  adding  anything  to  the 
increase  of  the  value  of  the  real  estate  of  the  estab- 
lishment. 

Embossing  Books  foe  the  Blind. 

Thanks  to  the  generosity  of  the  friends  and 
benefactors  of  the  blind,  the  income  of  the  printing 
fund  has  enabled  us  to  carry  on  the  work  of  this 


24 

department  with  the  usual  vigor  and  steady  regu- 
larity, and  to  issue  several  new  books  of  great 
merit. 

Of  the  "  Youth's  Library,"  five  volumes  have 
been  printed  during  the  past  year,  which,  added  to 
the  three  previously  embossed,  make  eight  in  all. 
Two  more  will  complete  the  series.  This  work  is 
of  great  importance  to  juvenile  pupils ;  for,  besides 
interesting  them  by  the  freshness  and  attractive- 
ness of  its  contents  while  learning  to  read  with 
the  fingers,  it  furnishes  them  with  a  vast  fund  of 
useful  information  regarding  the  world  around 
them,  which  is  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  object- 
teaching. 

A  good-sized  volume  of  biographical  sketches 
of  noted  blind  persons  and  the  eminent  pioneers 
in  the  cause  of  their  education,  together  with  those 
of  such  distinguished  leaders  of  human  thought  as 
Socrates,  Plato,  Kant,  and  others,  has  been  com- 
piled fi'om  various  sources  and  published  in  June 
last. 

New  editions  of  several  books  on  our  list  have 
also  been  published,  and  in  order  to  keep  our  sets 
of  the  IS^ew  Testament  complete,  we  have  been 
obliged  to  reprint  and  electrotype  the  whole  of 
the  first  volume. 

According  to  the  voluntary  testimony  of  experi- 
enced readers  residing  in  diflPerent  sections  of  the 
country,  the  works  issued  by  the  "  Howe  Memorial 
Press  "   continue   to   be  superior  both  in  subject- 


25 

matter  and  in  mechanical  execution  and  durability 
to  those  printed  elsewhere,  while  their  cost  has 
been  greatly  reduced. 

The  eagerness  with  which  our  pupils  are  wait- 
ing for  new  books  to  come  out  of  the  printing- 
office,  the  zest  with  which  they  peruse  them,  and 
the  vast  amount  of  pleasure  and  knowledge  which 
they  derive  from  reading  them,  bear  witness  to 
the  wisdom  and  benevolence  of  the  patrons  of  the 
enterprise,  who  must  be  gratified  by  the  thought, 
that  they  have  contributed  from  their  abundance 
to  provide  this  inestimable  boon  for  the  blind  of 
New  England. 

WoKK  Department  eok  Adults. 

Owing  to  the  depression  which  has  generally 
prevailed  in  business  circles,  this  department  has 
suffered  more  or  less  in  common  with  all  industrial 
enterprises. 

The  receipts  from  all  sources  have  amounted  to 
115,390.91,  being  a  decrease  of  $289.95  from  those 
of  the  previous  year. 

The  expenses  for  stock,  labor,  rent  of  store, 
wages  of  employes,  insurance  and  all  other  items 
have  been  $16,876.68. 

The  cost  of  carrying  on  the  workshop,  over  and 
above  the  receipts,  has  been  $556.27.  Hence  the 
loss  to  the  treasury  of  the  institution,  compared 
with  that  of  the  previous  year,  has  been  decreased 
by  $561.02. 


26 

There  have  been  twenty  blind  persons  employed 
to  do  the  work,  and  the  snm  paid  in  cash  to  them, 
as  wages  for  their  labor,  has  been  .$3,579.34,  or 
$21.47  less  than  in  1882. 

This  resume,  of  the  accounts  of  the  workshop 
shows  that  its  operations  have  not  been  so  exten- 
sive as  heretofore,  and  that  there  is  but  Utile 
improvement  in  its  financial  status,  which  has  been 
quite  unsatisfactory  for  a  long  time. 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  the  business  of  this 
department  should  be  increased,  in  order  that  it 
may  pay  its  expenses,  and  that  its  benefits  may  be 
extended  to  a  larger  number  of  meritorious  and 
industrious  persons,  who  are  striving  to  keep 
away  from  the  almshouse,  and  to  Avhom  the  bread 
of  charity  is  not  palatable.  It  ought  to  have 
an  income  of  its  own.  The  scanty  funds  of  the 
institution  are  too  limited  to  supply  the  wants  of 
the  Avorkshop.  Indeed,  they  do  not  sufiice  to 
cany  out  other  plans  relating  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  school,  which  have  been  so  often 
commended  to  the  attention  of  the  corporation  and 
approved  by  it. 

We  earnestly  recommend  this  beneficent  branch 
of  our  institution  to  the  patronage  of  the  public. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  I'enew  the  assurance 
that  the  work  is  done  faithfully  and  thoroughly, 
and  that  our  charges  are  very  reasonable. 


27 


Closing  Ke marks. 

In  summing  up  the  record  of  the  events  of 
another  year,  we  beg  leave  to  say,  that  the  school 
is  moving-  steadily  forward  on  the  road  of  progress, 
that  its  work  has  been  crowned  with  a  reasonable 
measure  of  success,  and  that  all  the  just  expecta- 
tions of  its  noble  founder,  and  its  generous  and 
benevolent  friends,  have  been  realized  to  a  very 
great  degree. 

We  again  extend  a  cordial  invitation  to  the 
executive  and  council  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts,  to  the  legislature  and  members  of 
the  corporation,  as  well  as  to  the  chief  magistrates 
and  other  officials  of  the  ^NTew  England  states,  and 
to  all  citizens  interested  in  the  education  and  wel- 
fare of  the  blind,  to  visit  the  institution  as  often  as 
they  can,  and  to  see  for  themselves  the  condition 
of  its  internal  affairs,  the  improvement  of  the 
pupils,  and  the  benefits  which  they  derive  from 
the  public  aid  afforded  to  them. 

For  further  information  relating  to  the  details  of 
the  instruction  of  the  blind  and  the  modes  of  their 
training,  we  refer  you  to  the  report  of  the  director, 
which  is  hereto  appended,  and  which  gives  an 
account  of  the  present  state  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  institution,  of  the  work  that  has  been 
accomplished  or  inaugurated  during  the  year, 
and  of  the  harvest  which  is  being  reaped  in  this 


28 


most  interesting  field  of  beneficence  and   human 
culture. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

francis  brooks, 
john  s.  dwight, 
m.  engelhardt, 
joseph  b.  glover, 
henry  lee  higginson, 
edward  n.  perkins, 
john  c.  phillips, 
samuel  m.  quincy, 
samuel  g.  snelling, 
james  sturgis, 
gp:orge  w.  wales, 

JOHN  II.  WETHERBEE, 

Trustees. 


THE  EEPORT  OF  THE  DIRECTOR. 


To  THE  Trustees. 

Gentlemen: — A  brief  retrospect  of  the  work 
and  progress  of  the  school  during  the  past  year, 
and  an  attempt  to  set  forth  its  present  wants  and 
future  prospects,  and  to  touch  upon  such  subjects 
as  relate  to  the  education  of  the  blind,  will  consti- 
tute the  materials  of  the  report  of  the  director, 
which  I  have  the  honor  to  present  to  your  board. 

Whoever  seeks  information  regarding  the  nature, 
objects  and  condition  of  the  institution,  naturally 
looks  for  it  in  its  annual  reports.  He  cannot  find 
it  elsewhere.  To  meet  this  want,  these  documents 
must  of  necessity  contain  statements  which  are 
more  oi'  less  repetitions  of  similar  ones  formerly 
made. 

It  is  a  great  privilege  to  be  able  again  to  speak 
of  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  institution  and 
refer  to  most  of  the  events  of  the  year  with  satis- 
faction. 

The  ordinary  courses  of  study,  music  and  indus- 
trial and  physical  training  have  been  pursued  with 


30 

undeviating  regularily,  and  gratifying  improve- 
ment has  been  made  in  all  the  departments  of  the 
establishment. 

The  pupils  have  prosecuted  their  several  occupa- 
tions with  assiduity,  cheerfulness  and  success. 
Their  time  has  been  divided  as  usual  between  the 
school-rooms,  the  music-rooms,  the  workshops,  the 
gymnasium  and  the  play-ground. 

The  teachers  and  officers  of  the  institution  have 
performed  their  respective  duties  in  a  way  not 
only  to  elicit  my  approbation,  but  to  merit  and 
secure  my  gratitude.  It  is  but  simple  justice  and 
ungarnished  truth  to  say  that  the  prosperity  and 
progress  of  the  establishment  are  in  a  great 
measure  due  to  their  hearty  cooperation,  uncom- 
mon tact  and  discretion,  and  to  their  faithful 
laboi's. 

The  customary  vacations  during  the  year  have 
given  variety  and  rest  to  the  scholars,  relaxation 
and  strength  to  the  teachers,  and  the  pleasure  of 
change  and  home  to  all. 

The  advancement  made  by  the  pupils,  the  order 
which  has  reigned  in  the  school,  and  the  harmony 
and  good-will  wliich  have  pervaded  the  household, 
are  highly  commendable,  while  diligence  in  study, 
industry  in  work  and  practice,  and  readiness  in 
attention  to  duty,  have  given  an  assurance  of  posi- 
tive progress  in  knowledge,  virtue  and  happiness. 

The  organization  of  the  institution  and  all  its 
internal  arrangements  and  regulations  are  in  per- 


31 

feet  harmony  with  the  requirements  of  the  present 
time,  and  are  calculated  to  promote  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  blind.  No  clannish  spirit,  or  a  disposi- 
tion to  monkish  seclusion  is  fostered  by  them.  On 
the  contrary,  everything  is  done  to  arm  the  pupils 
efficiently  for  the  battle  of  common,  social  life,  and 
to  inspire  them  with  courage  to  contend  resolutely, 
but  generously,  for  their  share  of  its  duties,  its 
responsibihties,  and  its  blessings. 

On  the  whole,  the  record  of  the  year  may  be 
filed  away  among  the  annals  of  the  past  with  the 
inscription,  "Read,  examined  and  approved." 
Nothing  therein  contained  should  be  considered, 
however,  as  assuming  that  all  has  been  done  that 
might  have  been  accomplished,  or  as  lessening  the 
obligation  to  attain  better  and  higher  results  in  the 
future.  Such  a  notion  would  weaken  the  springs 
of  activity,  and  render  powerless  the  wings  of 
progress. 

Fifty-two  years  ago  the  field  of  the  education  of 
the  blind  in  this  country  was  of  little  promise.  It 
was  a  mere  wilderness.  Shrubs  and  thistles  grew 
on  its  borders,  and  literal  barrenness  was  in  the 
midst.  But  through  the  sagacity  and  tireless  toil 
of  Dr.  Howe,  who  undertook  its  cultivation  with 
the  resolution  of  a  pioneer  and  the  enthusiasm  of 
a  devotee,  it  was  transformed  into  a  fresh  and 
verdant  garden,  and  its  ajDpearance  now  delights 
the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  humanity.  While  we 
rejoice  with  them  at  the  close  of  another  year  in 


32 

the  hope  of  its  continued  fertility,  let  us  follow  the 
steps  of  our  noble  Cadmus  and  strive  to  enrich  its 
soil,  and  not  only  increase  the  quantity  but  improve 
the  quality  of  its  fruits. 

Number  of   Inmates. 

The  total  number  of  blind  persons  connected 
with  the  various  departments  of  the  institution  at 
the  beginning  of  the  past  year  as  pupils,  teachers, 
employes  and  work  men  and  women,  was  165. 
There  have  since  been  admitted  23;  28  have  been 
discharged;  making  the  present  total  number  160. 
Of  these,  140  are  in  the  school  proper,  and  20  in 
the  workshop  for  adults. 

The  first  class  includes  125  boys  and  girls 
enrolled  as  pupils,  11  teachers  and  4  domestics. 
Of  the  pupils,  there  are  now  108  in  attendance,  17 
being  temporarily  absent  on  account  of  bodily 
weakness  or  from  various  other  causes. 

The  second  class  comprises  16  men  and  4 
women,  employed  in  the  industrial  department  for 
adults. 

No  applicant  of  proper  age,  of  good  moral  char- 
acter, and  of  average  intelligence  is  ever  refused 
admission.  On  the  contrary,  all  who  appear  to  be 
fit  subjects  for  the  school  are  promptly  received  on 
probation,  and  retained  on  the  list  of  pupils  or 
discharged  after  a  fair  and  patient  trial. 

For  many  years  past  the  number  of  male  pupils 
has    been   considerably   larger   than    that   of    the 


33 


females,  and  the  preponderance  of  the  sterner  sex 
among-  the  new  comei's  was  always  noticeable. 
This  order  has  of  late  been  reversed,  and  the  pro- 
portion of  the  girls  to  that  of  the  boys  admitted  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  session  is  more  than 
double;  it  is  nearly  three  to  one. 

Health  or  the  Household. 

By  attention  to  the  immutable  natural  laws 
which  govern  life,  by  considering  them  as  divine 
commands,  and  by  obeying  them  as  strictly  as 
possible,  we  have  endeavored  to  secure  the  bless- 
ing of  health  for  our  household.  But  with  all 
these  efforts,  there  has  been,  during  the  past  year, 
an  unusual  amount  of  illness,  first  in  the  girls' 
department  and  afterwards  in  that  of  the  boys, 
attributable,  probably,  to  so  protracted  a  season  of 
steady  cold  weather  as  we  had  last  winter,  and  to 
the  prevalence  of  epidemic  diseases  in  the  city  and 
the  neighboring  towns. 

Among  other  minor  ailments,  there  occurred  in 
the  cottages  during  the  months  of  December, 
January  and  February  two  cases  of  pneumonia, 
three  of  erysipelas,  and  one  of  scarlet  fever.  On 
the  appearance  of  the  latter  disease  the  most 
vigorous  measures  were  taken  to  prevent  its 
spreading  among  the  ])U))ils,  and  it  was  stamped 
out  effectually. 

For  about  a  month  afterwards  the  usual  degree 
of  good  health  prevailed  in  both  departments  ;  but 


34 


in  the  middle  of  April,  the  measles  broke  out 
among  the  boys,  in  a  light  form,  and  all  those  who 
had  not  had  the  disease  before,  seven  in  number, 
were  attacked  by  it.  Soon  the  sanitary  horizon  of 
the  school  was  clear  again,  and  the  preparations 
for  the  commencement  exercises  were  completed 
without  further  interruptions. 

In  the  midst  of  the  pleasure  and  gratification 
which  followed  the  striking  success  of  the  per- 
formances at  our  exhibition  at  Tremont  Temple,  a 
cloud  rose  to  shadow^  our  household.  The  assist- 
ant matron,  Miss  Yirtiline  Haskell,  was  taken  ill 
on  Sunday,  the  10th  of  June.  On  Tuesday,  her 
disease  was  found  to  be  scarlet  fever,  of  a  malig- 
nant nature,  and  she  was  removed  at  once  to 
the  city  hospital,  where  she  received  the  most 
skilful  medical  aid  and  watchful  care  and  nursing ; 
but  all  was  of  no  avail.  She  died  on  Wednesday 
night,  June  13th,  lamented  by  all  who  knew  her 
amiable  disposition,  her  devotion  to  the  duties  of 
her  office  and  the  welfare  of  the  children,  and  her 
sterling  qualities  of  character  and  heart.  One  of 
the  scholars,  who  had  gone  to  a  friend's  house  to 
spend  Sunday,  was  attacked,  simultaneously  with 
Miss  Haskell,  by  the  same  disease.  He  soon 
recovered,  however,  as  did  also  two  others,  who 
were  taken  ill  immediately  after  the  close  of  the 
school  term  and  their  arrival  home  for  the  summer 
vacation. 

On  the  whole,  in  point  of  health,  the  past  year 


35 

has  been  the  most  trying  and  unsatisfactory  one 
since  my  connection  with  the  institution. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  deepest 
obligations  and  grateful  acknowledgments  to  the 
superintendents  of  both  the  City  and  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  hospitals,  Dr.  George  H.  M.  Rowe 
and  Dr.  James  H.  Whittemore,  for  the  readiness 
with  which  they  received  such  pupils  as  our  medi- 
cal inspector,  Dr.  Homans,  deemed  it  necessary  to 
send  to  them,  and  for  the  kind  attention  and  con- 
siderate care  which  they  bestowed  upon  them. 

Before  the  beginning  of  the  present  school  term, 
the  drainage  of  our  buildings  was  thoroughly 
examined  by  a  sanitary  expert  for  the  second  time 
during  the  past  year,  and  w^as  pronounced  to  be 
flawless. 

Government  and  Discipline. 

The  government  of  the  institution  is  parental  in 
its  character,  and  moral  suasion  is  the  leading  prin- 
ciple in  our  system  of  discipline.  'No  corporal 
punishment  or  harsh  measures  of  treatment  of  any 
kind  are  permitted.  The  rules  are  as  simple  and 
reasonable  as  the  necessities  and  exigencies  of  a 
family  like  ours  allow  them  to  be.  They  aim  at 
the  maintenance  of  strict  decorum,  which  means 
proper  conduct,  good  manners  and  becoming 
behavior,  and  are  carefully  observed.  Further 
than  this,  nothing  is  required  of  the  pupils,  who 
are  left  to  that  wholesome  liberty  of  action,  which 


36 

is  the  leaven  for  the  development  of  mdividiial 
independence. 

The  members  of  the  higher  classes  of  the  school 
are  granted  the  privilege  of  self-government. 
They  are  neither  marked,  nor  reprimanded  or 
reproved,  but  are  expected  to  comply  with  the 
rules  and  regulations  of  the  establishment,  and  to 
conduct  themselves  like  young  ladies  and  gentle- 
men. If  they  fail  to  do  so,  they  are  classed  with 
the  younger  children,  and  treated  as  such,  until 
they  redeem  their  character  and  regain  their  rank. 

This  system  of  self-discipline  by  the  pupils  is 
rather  a  gradual  evolution  than  a  new  and  sud- 
den departure  from  existing  methods.  Its  chief 
object  is  to  raise  the  standard  of  self-control  and 
reliance,  and  build  up  an  atmosphere  of  manhood, 
womanhood  and  truth.  So  far  it  has  worked 
wonderfully  well,  and  my  faith  in  its  beneficent 
effects  is  so  unbounded  that  I  earnestly  trust  that 
we  shall  soon  be  able  to  extend  it  to  some  of  the 
lower  divisions  of  the  school. 

Pla:n^  of  Operations. 

Our  general  system  of  education  and  training 
has  been  pursued  with  such  alterations  and  im- 
provements as  experience  seemed  to  suggest  and 
progress  to  require.  But,  as  in  the  fundamental 
principles  of  our  plan,  so  in  all  the  changes  and 
modifications  of  its  methods,  the  main  aim  and  end 
is  to  secure  for  the  blind  better  ph^^sical,  intellect- 


37 


ual  and  social  advantages  than  they  have  hitherto 
enjoyed.  The  prime  object  constantly  kept  in 
view  is  to  lessen  their  sense  of  dependence  and 
strengthen  their  feeling  of  self-respect  ;  to  call 
into  play  those  facnlties  which  are  necessary  for 
self-guidance,  and  to  develop  such  powers  as  are 
indispensable  for  self-support  ;  and,  lastly,  to  give 
to  all  individuals  that  freedom  of  action  which 
generates  and  fosters  self-reliance,  and  the  largest 
possible  liberty,  conditioned  only  on  the  observance 
of  the  rules  of  the  establishment  and  consistent 
with  the  order  of  the  household  and  the  rights  of 
others. 

This  system  is  carried  on  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  institution,  which  are  to  its  organic 
force  what  the  brooks  and  upland  springs  are  to  a 
great  river.  We  shall  notice  each  one  of  these 
more  in  detail  hereafter. 

These  departments  have  been  conducted  in  a 
quiet  and  unostentatious  manner;  and,  although 
there  is  undoubtedly  much  room  for  improvement 
in  the  quality  of  their  work,  as  well  as  in  the 
means  and  methods  of  performing  it,  yet  what  has 
been  accomplished  is  on  the  whole  satisfactory 
and  very  creditable  to  those  who  are  employed  in 
them.  As  a  rule,  whatever  degree  of  excellence 
is  attained  in  any  of  the  branches  of  the  establish- 
ment is  not  considered  as  a  final  triumph,  but  only 
serves  as  a  vantage-ground,  from  which  to  survey 


38 


the  whole    field    of  operations    and    discover  still 
further  improvements  to  be  made. 

Literary  Department. 

During  the  past  year  the  results  of  this  impor- 
tant department,  which  constitutes  the  foundation 
of  our  system  of  education,  have  been  exceedingly 
satisfactory. 

There  has  been  a  marked  improvement  in  the 
ethical  and  intellectual  atmosphere  of  the  school, 
and  the  continual  adoption  of  rational  and  progres- 
sive methods  of  instruction  has  kept  on  a  constant 
advance  all  along  the  line  in  the  several  branches 
of  study. 

The  pi'ominence  given  to  teaching  objectively,  of 
which  mention  has  been  made  in  previous  reports, 
has  been  fully  sustained,  and  the  merit  result- 
ing therefrom  is  of  a  higher  order  than  ever  before. 
In  this  connection  the  classes  in  botany,  physi- 
ology, zoology,  geography,  and  even  arithmetic, 
deserve  special  praise. 

The  study  of  natural  history  by  means  of  the 
use  of  specimens  and  models  is  of  prime  impor- 
tance everywhere,  but  especially  in  a  school  like 
ours;  and  I  am  exceedingly  glad  to  notice  the 
enthusiasm  manifested  in  this  department  by  both 
teachers  and  pupils.  The  additions  recently  made 
to  our  collections  of  tangible  objects  and  apparatus 
have  perhaps  aided  to  refresh  and  strengthen  this 
tendency. 


39 

The  matter  and  methods  of  instruction  have,  as 
a  general  rule,  been  adapted  to  the  capacit}'^  of 
the  learners,  ^o  fetters  of  any  kind  have  been 
imposed  on  the  minds  of  the  children.  Indepen- 
dent and  glad  effort  has  been  invariably  stimulated. 

The  pupils  have  been  made  to  understand,  that 
their  improvement  depends  upon  their  application, 
and  that  labor  is  still,  and  ever  will  be,  the  inevi- 
table price  set  upon  ever3^thing  which  is  valuable. 
They  have  been  taught  to  work  with  a  purpose, 
and  wait  the  results  with  patience.  The  spirit  of 
industry,  embodied  in  the  daily  life  of  the  scholars, 
will  gradually  lead  them  to  exercise  their  powers 
on  objects  external  to  themselves  of  greater  dig- 
nity and  more  extended  usefulness. 

All  available  measures  have  been  taken  to 
increase  the  vital  sap  and  suppleness  of  fresh  life 
in  the  school,  and  to  prevent  it  from  running  the 
risk  of  becoming  petrified.  As  a  consequence, 
there  has  been  an  earnest  desire  for  improvement 
in  intellectual  pursuits,  a  thirst  for  usefal  knowl- 
edge, a  hunger  for  mental  stimulus  of  a  powerful 
kind. 

Special  efforts  have  been  made  to  suppress  the 
tendency  to  cram.  This  process,  like  a  noxious 
weed,  not  only  sterilizes  the  soil  of  the  mind,  but 
has  a  moral  taint  fostering  ostentation  and  conceit. 
It  is  quite  as  likely  to  make  pupils  flippant  as 
fluent,  confounding  gabble  with  smartness.  It  is 
multiplying  Shakespeare's  "  knave  very  voluble," 


40 

while    better    methods    would,    in    Isaac    Taylor's 
phrase,  "  put  flippant  scorn  to  blush." 

The  results  of  the  progress  made  by  the  pupils 
during  the  past  year  are  very  apparent  in  the  more 
general  development  among  them  of  the  power  of 
observing  carefully  and  thinking  understandingly 
concerning  that  which  has  been  studied.  Among 
the  most  hopeful  signs  for  the  future  is  the  fact, 
that  the  school  has  become  a  field,  in  which  the 
teachers  are  themselves  making  various  impi-ove- 
ments  and  heljjful  discoveries  in  the  true  work  of 
education,  instead  of  contentedly  following  the 
traditionary  and  venerable  customs  of  the  past. 

Much  of  the  refinement  of  manner  and  nobleness 
of  purpose  with  which  visitors  to  the  institution 
are  impressed,  is  due  to  the  rare  qualities  of  head 
and  heart  of  the  instructors.  They  are  loyal  to 
right  and  duty,  are  moved  by  high  moral  consider- 
ations, and  possess  that  indescribable  charm  which 
comes  from  native  worth,  gentle  breeding  and 
nice  culture.  The  more  quiet  and  peaceful  the 
school  appears  to  the  observei*,  the  greater  the 
evidence  that  it  is  a  constant  and  ceaseless  care 
to  the  teachers.  If  he  notices  no  friction,  it  is 
because  they  are  such  skilful  engineers.  If  he 
sees  no  machinery,  it  is  because  they  make  it  run 
so  smoothly.  If  he  finds  pleasant  light  and  genial 
warmth  in  the  class-room,  it  is  because  they  keep 
the  lamps  of  cheerfulness  and  the  fires  of  patient 
endeavor  burning  steadily. 


41 

To  the  careful  planning  and  unwearied  labors 
of  the  teachers  we  are  chiefly  indebted  for  the 
very  unique  and  beautiful  exhibition  in  connection 
with  the  commencement  exercises  held  at  Tremont 
Temple  on  the  5th  of  June  last. 

One  of  the  young  ladies,  who,  having  completed 
their  course  of  studies,  received  diplomas  on  this 
occasion,  Miss  Julia  E.  Burnham  of  Lowell,  has 
since  passed  the  requisite  examination  successfully 
and  entered  the  State  formal  School  at  Framing- 
ham,  in  order  to  qualify  herself  as  a  teacher  for 
seeing  children.  Our  graduates  generally  com- 
pare very  favorably  with  those  of  the  high  schools 
and  academies  of  New  England.  As  a  specimen 
of  the  thoroughness  of  their  training  and  the  char- 
acter of  their  literary  attainments,  I  venture  to 
copy  herewith  m  toto  the  brief  but  excellent  vale- 
dictory address,  prepared  and  delivered  by  Miss 
Lenna  D.  Swinerton  of  Danvers :  — 


"  Before  saying  the  reluctant  yet  hopeful  farewell,  those  for 
whom  we  speak  are  reminded  of  the  gi*eat  debt  due  to  our  edu- 
cational benefactors.  Mere  words  cannot  cancel  it ;  and  yet,  on 
this  occasion,  we  have  nothing  else  to  offer.  So  please  accept 
words  as  gratitude's  promissorj'  notes,  payable  in  that  specie 
possessed  by  every  individual  —  namely,  the  best  that  he  or  she 
may  do  and  be  ;  your  aim  in  educating  us  having  been  to  raise 
such  specie  to  the  standard  value. 

"  To  His  Excellency  the  governor  and  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts,  and  to  the  corresponding  representatives  of  the 
other   New  England  states,   we  tender  our  sincere  thanks  for 


42 


their  generous  and  unfailing  support  of  this  special  public 
school. 

"  To  our  board  of  trustees  we  express  our  gratitude  for 
their  hearty  sympathy  and  cooperation  with  each  step  of  our 
school  progress. 

"  To  our  director  and  teachers  we  owe  more  than  we  yet 
realize,  but  we  are  deepl}'  grateful  for  their  unceasing  faithful- 
ness and  forbearance. 

"  Schoolmates,  though  henceforth  our  paths  diverge,  our  inter- 
est in  the  coming  kindergarten  —  childhood's  Aurora  —  and  in 
all  that  is  noble  and  beautiful,  will  ever  be  one  and  the  same. 

"  On  the  hill  where  Washington 
Viewed  the  foe  from  Boston  fl}ing, 
By  his  vigilance  outdone, 
Stands  our  school  to-day  dispelling 
Ignorance  and  want,  its  dower, 
Record  of  a  great  conception,  — 
Giving  us  what  made  the  nation, 
Freedom  from  a  tyrant's  power. 

"  Leave  we  now  our  places  here, 
Fare-thee-well  and  flourish  ever. 
As  from  these  whose  constant  care 
Makes  thee  what  thou  art,  we  sever, 
This  our  constant  aim  shall  be, 
To  live  worthy  of  thy  teaching. 
Virtue's  fragrant  flowers  wearing, 
Growing  in  activity. 

"Farewell  to  thy  household  dear! 
Joy  with  grief  combines  at  parting. 
For  as  children  seek  the  cheer 
Of  the  mother's  smile  and  blessing, 
Ere  they  launch  where  life's  seas  swell, 
So  for  thine  we  ask  and  linger. 
Comforted  if  thou  canst  answer, 
"  Go  approved,'  '  God  speed  you  well.'  " 


43 

A  few  days  after  our  annual  festival  the  princi- 
pal teacher  of  the  boys'  department,  Miss  Julia 
Roxana  Gilman,  sailed  for  Europe  for  the  purpose 
of  travel  and  recreation.  Our  entire  community 
joined  in  wishing  her  heartily  a  prosperous  voyage 
and  delightful  stay  abroad.  But,  great  as  was  the 
interest  manifested  in  her  journey  and  its  pleas- 
ures, her  happy  and  safe  return  home  was  greeted 
with  genuine  joy  and  most  cordial  congratulations. 

There  has  occurred  but  one  change  in  the  corps 
of  teachers  during  the  past  year.  Miss  Annie  E. 
Carnes,  a  young  lady  of  great  ability  and  uncom- 
mon industry,  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  last 
term,  and  Miss  Frances  B.  Winslow  of  Brewster, 
a  graduate  of  the  normal  school  at  Bridgewater, 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  present  session  of  the  school  has  com- 
menced under  the  most  favorable  auspices.  After 
the  rest  and  relaxation  of  the  summer  vacation, 
both  pupils  and  teachers  have  returned  promptly 
to  their  work,  and  have  entered  upon  their  respec- 
tive duties  with  their  accustomed  earnestness  and 
zeal. 

Music  Department. 

Plutarch  says  that  "  music  is  something  so  supe- 
rior, so  divine,  so  great,  —  something  so  beautiful 
and  so  sublime,  —  that  our  fathers  were  right  in 
holding  it  in  high  estimation  in  education.'  In  the 
case  of  the  blind  these  words  of  the  Chseronean 
philosopher   and   historian    may    be    applied    with 


44 

additional  force.  For,  besides  being  an  exhaust- 
less  source  of  aesthetic  culture  and  moral  refine- 
ment, this  queen  of  the  fine  arts  opens  to  them 
vistas  of  delightful  enjoyment,  and  so  wide  a  field 
of  practical  advantages,  that  no  curriculum  of  any 
school  specially  intended  for  their  benefit  can  be 
complete  without  giving  it  a  most  prominent  and 
conspicuous  place. 

In  this  institution  music  has  continued  to  receive 
all  the  attention  which  its  vast  importance  merits, 
and  the  department  devoted  to  its  study  and  prac- 
tice has  been  well  conducted,  and  its  aims  and 
purposes  have  been  pursued  with  assiduity  and 
with  satisfactory  results. 

The  number  of  pupils  who  received  instruction 
in  music  during  the  past  year  was  ninety-one.  Of 
these  eighty-two  studied  the  piano;  ten,  the  cabi- 
net and  church  organ;  eighteen,  harmony;  four, 
the  violin;  eighteen,  reed  and  brass  instruments; 
sixty-eight  practised  singing  in  classes;  twenty- 
one  received  individual  vocal  training,  and  sixteen 
participated  in  the  practical  exercises  of  the  nor- 
mal teaching  classes. 

There  has  been  but  one  change  in  the  corps  of 
teachers  of  this  department.  Miss  Constance  A. 
Heine,  a  talented  musician  and  brilliant  performer, 
resigned  her  position  at  the  end  of  the  fii'st  quarter 
of  the  school  session,  and  the  vacancy  was  filled 
by  the  appointment  of  Miss  Annie  Keith  of 
Middleborough. 


45 

In  compliance  with  a  vote  passed  by  your  board, 
the  violin   was   introduced   into   this    department 
during  the  last  term,  and  a  competent  teacher,  Mr. 
Julius  Akeroyd,  was  engaged  to  give  instruction 
on  that  instrument.     AVe  augur  much  good   from 
its   reappearance   as    a  factor    in    our   course    of 
musical  study.     Special  professors  have    been  for 
many    years   employed    to  teach  the   cornet,    the 
flute,  the  clarionet,  and  the  higher  classes  in  sing- 
ing and  vocal  training,  with  great  success  ;    but 
the  violin,  the  king  of  the  stringed  instruments, 
was  absent  from  oui'  school  for  a  long  period,  and 
the  importance  of  its  readoption    cannot  be  over- 
estimated.    It  raises  our  pupils  at  one  step  to  the 
hio-hest  round  of  the  ladder  of  musical  endeavor, 
and  places  them,  still  more  emphatically  than  be- 
fore, in  the  front  ranks  of  the  musical   students 
and  aspirants  of  the  age. 

This  is  a  point  which,  in  all  the  departments  of 
the  institution,  I  am  most  anxious  to  hold  up  be- 
fore our  eyes.  Kever  to  lose  our  date,  never  to 
fall  behindhand,  always  to  keep  pace  with  the  cur- 
rent of  educational  progress,  never  to  post-date  it. 
The  familiar  adage,  that  "  the  early  bird  gets  the 
worm,"  is  as  true  in  artistic  and  intellectual  mat- 
ters as  in  the  business  sphere  to  which  these 
accomplishments  introduce  our  pupils,  and  which 
we  must  therefore  keep  in  view. 

l^o  efforts  or  expense  within  the  limits  of  our 
means  have  been  spared  to  increase  the  facilities 


46 

and  improve  the  advantages  offered  by  our  music 
department,  and  the  thoroughness  of  its  work 
and  the  efficiency  of  its  training  can  be  easily 
judged  by  its  fruits.  Our  graduates  continue  to 
be  very  successful  in  their  vocations  as  teachers 
of  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  Their  instruc- 
tion is  sought  after  in  the  various  communities 
where  they  establish  themselves  after  leaving  the 
school,  and  they  are  generally  regarded  as  reliable 
and  faithful  ministers  of  their  art. 

The  numerous  opportunities  of  hearing  excel- 
lent music  afforded  in  so  friendly  a  spirit  by  those 
who  have  the  direction  and  management  of  our 
best  concerts,  oratorios,  operas  and  recitals,  have 
been  as  generously  and  munificently  offered  as 
heretofore,  and  the  visits  of  artists  to  our  estab- 
lishment have  continued  from  time  to  time  to  de- 
light its  pupils.  To  those  among  them  who  have 
more  than  ordinary  taste  and  talent  for  music, 
these  external  advantages  are  of  as  much  im- 
portance as  the  thorough  instruction  which  they 
receive  at  the  institution;  for  they  introduce  them 
into  the  higher  spheres  of  art,  and  enable  them  to 
appreciate  and  enjoy  the  masterpieces  of  the  great 
composers,  interpreted  by  eminent  artists  and  by 
well-drilled  orchestras  and  choruses. 

For  these  most  valuable  contributions  to  the 
musical  culture  and  artistic  refinement  of  our 
scholars,  our  warmest  thanks  and  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments are  hereby  tendered  to  their  kind 


47 


friends  and  liberal  benefactors,  whose  names  will 
be  given  elsewhere.  Perhaps  it  will  be  gratify- 
ing to  them  to  know,  that  nowhere  in  the  whole 
civilized  woild  do  the  blind  enjoy  one-half  the 
benefits  which  are  so  freely  and  cheerfully  be- 
stowed upon  those  of  Kew  England  by  the  musi- 
cal societies  and  organizations,  and  the  distin- 
guished artists  of  Boston. 

While  I  was  finishing  this  paragraph,  a  letter 
came  to  me  from  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  noted 
musicians  of  Boston,  Mr.  "William  H.  Sherwood, 
who  has  for  many  years  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
the  welfare  and  progress  of  our  scholars,  and 
whose  exquisite  performances  on  the  pianoforte 
have  many  a  time  delighted  them.  From  this 
note  I  take  the  liberty  of  copying  the  following 
extract  as  an  illustration  of  my  statement:  "Sev- 
eral of  my  most  advanced  pupils  will  be  glad  to 
play  at  the  institute  this  winter.  Mrs.  Sherwood 
and  I  will  also  play,  if  you  desire  it.  Will  you 
please  send  me  the  choice  of  evenings  ?  " 

TujSting  Department. 

This  department  is  eminently  a  practical  and 
useful  one,  and  constitutes  a  very  important 
branch  of  our  system  of  training  the  blind  for 
the  remunerative  occupations  of  life.  It  infuses 
a  new  spur  and  stirring  motive  into  their  activi- 
ties, and  opens  to  them  a  field  of  congenial  and 
lucrative  employment. 


48 


The  number  of  pupils  who  have  received  m- 
struction  in  tuning  pianofortes  during  the  past 
year  was  thirteen.  Two  of  these  —  Benjamin  F. 
Parker  of  IS^ashua,  'New  Hampshire,  and  WilHam 
P.  Garrison  of  Yernon,  Michigan  —  graduated  at 
the  close  of  the  last  school  session,  and  are  exceed- 
ingly well  qualified  both  in  the  theory  and  practice 
of  their  art,  so  as  to  turn  it  to  advantage  and 
render  it  profitable  to  themselves  and  serviceable 
to  the  communities  in  which  they  live. 

Increased  attention  and  care  have  been  be- 
stowed upon  this  department,  and  the  modes  of 
training  therein  pursued  have  been  as  thorough 
and  systematic  as  heretofore,  while  the  mechanical 
appliances  and  tangible  apparatus  have  been  kept 
in  excellent  condition. 

The  pianofortes  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city 
of  Boston,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  in  number, 
have  been  entrusted  to  our  charge  for  another 
year,  on  the  same  terms  as  the  last.  Our  tuners 
have  taken  such  great  care  and  pains  to  do  their 
work  promptly  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
music  teachers  employed  by  the  city,  and  of  all 
competent  judges,  that  not  a  word  of  complaint  or 
unfavorable  criticism  has  been  breathed  from  any 
direction.  This  contract  is  a  strong  endorsement 
of  our  graduates,  and  a  high  recommendation  of 
their  skill  and  ability,  silencing  eff'ectually  the  base 
aspersions  and  sneering  insinuations  of  unscrupu- 
lous rivaliy,  and  for  its  seventh  renewal  we  are 


49 

under  lasting  obligations  to  the  fair-mindedness  and 
sense  of  justice  of  those  members  of  the  school 
board  who  have  charge  of  the  matter. 

The  services  of  our  tuners  continue  to  be 
steadily  sought  everywhere,  and  the  patronage 
extended  to  them  by  some  of  the  best  and  most 
intelligent  families  of  Boston  is  constantly  on  the 
increase.  During  the  past,  year  the  earnings  of 
the  tuning  department  amounted  to  $1,789.  Of 
this  sum,  only  a  small  fraction,  —  $65,  —  re- 
mains to  be  collected,  the  balance,  $1,724,  having 
already  been  paid  to  the  treasurer.  Besides  the 
young  men  who  are  regularly  employed  to  do  the 
work  on  the  pianofortes  belonging  to  the  public 
schools  and  on  those  of  our  customers,  several  of 
the  present  pupils  are  called  on  from  time  to  time 
to  assist  them.  These,  in  addition  to  the  practice 
which  they  gain,  receive  pecuniary  remuneration 
for  their  'services,  which  in  many  instances  is  of 
great  help  to  them. 

About  a  score  and  a  half  of  our  graduates,  who 
have  been  trained  in  the  tuning  department,  and 
have  left  the  school  during  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years,  are  scattered  all  over  the  country,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  majority  of  them 
are  doing  exceedingly  well  and  are  quite  prosper- 
ous. Two,  Orville  C.  Cadwell  and  William  C. 
Bolles,  are  employed  by  n  music  firm  in  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  at  a  salary  of  $600  per  annum  apiece. 
Three,  Henry  E.  Boesch,  Edward  E.  Ware  and 


50 

Eugene  A.  Bigelowj,  are  working  very  advanta- 
geously and  successfully  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  One, 
James  H.  Stirling  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
has  been  employed  by  a  piano  concern  in  his  native 
city.  Charles  F.  Spencer  of  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, Charles  W.  Lindsay  of  Montreal,  Canada, 
Arthur  Andrew  of  Willimantic,  Connecticut,  John 
"Yars  of  IS^ewport,  Rhode  Island,  William  A. 
Severance  of  Lewis,  Kew  York,  John  l!«r.  Marble 
of  Fitchburg,  Heni-y  T.  Bray  of  Boylston,  and 
others,  are  either  pursuing  their  calling  as  tuners, 
or  dealing  in  various  musical  instruments  in  their 
respective  places,  with  great  profit  and  excellent 
prospects  of  improvement.  The  rest  are  settled 
in  Boston,  Worcester,  Lowell,  Lynn  and  else- 
where, ib^upported  by  their  own  exertions,  and 
seconded  by  the  encouragement  of  their  friends 
and  the  good-will  of  their  neighbors. 

This  list,  hastily  made  up  from  memor>^,  without 
any  reference  to  the  records  of  the  institution,  is 
far  from  complete.  It  may  be  considered  as  a 
simple  memorandum,  or  mere  skeleton.  But, 
imperfect  as  it  is,  it  gives  some  idea  of  the  nature 
of  the  work  of  our  tuning  department,  and  of  the 
quality  of  the  harvest  which  is  being  reaped  on  the 
fertile  field  of  its  practical  usefulness. 

Technical  Department. 

A  part  of  each  day  has,  as  usual,  been  devoted 
by  the  pupils  to  handicraft.     Both  boys  and  girls 


51 


have  repaired  regularly  at  fixed  hours  to  their 
workrooms,  where  they  has'e  been  systematically 
taught  a  simple  trade  and  the  manipulation  of 
materials  of  different  kinds. 

This  practice  is  of  immense  importance  to  the 
blind  in  an  educational,  as  well  as  in  an  industrial 
and  sanitary  point  of  view.  It  trains  them  to 
habits  of  regularity  and  activity,  the  value  of 
which  is  readily  seen  in  contrast  with  the  feverish 
listlessness  of  idle  hours  and  vacant  thoughts. 
It  gives  them  elasticity  and  dexterity  in  the  use  of 
their  fingers,  and  thus  it  prepares  them  for  a 
career  of  usefulness,  and  for  doing  something  at 
least  towards  earning  their  own  livelihood. 

There  have  been  no  changes  made  either  in  the 
general  principles  or  in  the  details  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  industrial  department,  and  an  exami- 
nation of  what  has  been  accomplished  in  each  of 
its  two  branches  during  the  past  year,  will  show 
that  its  afi"airs  have  been  conducted  with  fidelity 
and  with  good  results. 

I.    WorTcshop  for  the  Boys. 

Most  of  our  male  pupils  have  been  regularly 
employed  in  this  workshop,  and  have  been  taught 
the  usual  trades  with  more  or  less  success,  the 
degree  of  which  is  determined  by  the  energy  and 
natural  aptitude  of  the  learner. 

The  acquisition  of  a  fair  amount  of  skill  and 
perseverance  in  the  pursuance  of  handicrafts  has 


52 


been  insisted  upon  as  a  helpful  auxiliary  in  every 
undertaking.  Moreover,  attention,  application, 
accuracy,  method,  punctuality  and  despatch  have 
been  invariably  required  of  all  the  apprentices  as 
the  principal  qualities,  which  are  indispensable  in 
the  efficient  conduct  of  business  of  any  kind. 
These  at  first  sight  may  appear  to  be  small  matters; 
and  yet  they  are  of  essential  importance  to  the 
happiness,  well-being  and  usefulness  of  mankind. 
They  are  trivial  things,  it  is  true  :  but,  as  Smiles 
observes,  life  is  made  up  of  comparative  trifles.  It 
is  the  repetition  of  little  acts  which  constitutes  the 
sum  of  human  character. 

Some  of  our  older  pupils,  who  will  have  to 
depend  wholly  upon  the  labor  of  their  hands  for 
their  support,  are  permitted  to  devote  during  the 
last  year  of  their  tuition  a  great  portion  of  their 
time  to  mattress  making  and  to  the  upholstering 
and  repairing  of  parlor  furniture.  For  a  thorough 
practice  in  the  first  of  these  trades  they  are  placed 
under  the  immediate  care  of  one  of  the  experi- 
enced journeymen  in  the  workshop  for  adults. 

II.    WorJcrooms  for  the  Girls. 

A  high  degree  of  activity  has  prevailed  in  these 
rooms,  —  which  have  at  all  times  the  appearance 
of  a  hive  of  cheerful  workers,  —  and  much  has 
been  therein  accomplished  which  is  very  creditable 
both  to  the  ingenuity  and  taste  of  the  princi- 
pal teacher.  Miss  Abby  J.  Dillingham,  and   her 


53 

assistants,  and  to  the   assiduous  industry  of  the 
pupils. 

Owing  to  the  limited  demand  for  bead  work, 
less  care  has  been  bestowed  upon  it,  and  more 
upon  sewing  and  knitting  by  hand  and  machine, 
upon  crochetting,  cane-seating,  hammock-making, 
and  manufacturing  a  great  variety  of  articles  of 
fancy  work. 

In  addition  to  the  instruction  which  our  female 
pupils  have  received  in  the  workrooms,  they  have 
also  been  regularly  trained  in  such  domestic  occu- 
pations as  seem  to  come  within  the  special  sphere 
of  a  housekeeper.  On  this  point  unrelaxed  insist- 
ence has  been  laid,  and  whatever  may  be  the  attain- 
ments of  our  girls  in  literary  and  musical  pursuits, 
a  practical  knowledge  of  household  duties  and  of 
provident  economy  has  been  considered  as  one  of 
their  most  prominent  virtues  and  useful  accom- 
plishments. Darning  and  patching,  washing 
dishes  and  polishing  knives  and  forks,  setting  the 
table  and  dusting  furniture,  sweeping  rooms  and 
cleaning  floors,  peeling  potatoes  and  doing  all 
things  of  this  sort,  may  be  foreign  to  the  regions 
of  silly  fashion,  and  excluded  from  the  education 
of  children  born  in  the  dominions  of  wealth;  but 
they  are  essential  elements  and  important  factors 
in  the  welfare  of  every  family  of  moderate  means, 
and  should  under  all  circumstances  receive  due 
and  undivided  attention  in  a  school  like  ours. 


54 


Department  of  Physical  Tralning. 

Of  the  children  annually  received  at  this  insti- 
tution many  are  of  slender  frame,  enervated  con- 
stitution and  frail  health,  and  none  are  so  robust 
and  hardy  as  the  average  of  seeing  youth,  or  can 
equal  them  in  resolute,  persevering,  hard  work. 
This  is  in  most  cases  probably  owing  to  the  want 
of  early  rigid  discipline,  but  it  is  still  more  due  to 
lack  of  bodily  vigor  and  activity. 

Be  the  causes  what  they  may,  however,  the  fact 
remains  undisputed,  that  the  blind  as  a  class  have 
not  oidy  to  struggle  against  the  barriers  imposed 
upon  them  by  the  loss  of  sight,  but  moreover  to 
contend  against  consequent  inferiority  in  physical 
health  and  stamina.  Hence  no  system  of  educa- 
tion can  be  regarded  as  efficient-  or  even  suitable 
for  them,  unless  it  includes  ample  provision  for 
securely  preparing  the  groundAVork  upon  which 
the  temple  of  intellectual  achievements  and  moral 
excellences  is  to  be  built. 

In  this  institution  a  system  of  physical  training, 
consisting  of  free  gymnastics,  calisthenics  and 
military  drill,  has  been  carried  on  with  the  usual 
energy  and  regularity,  and  I  venture  to  affirm, 
with  the  facts  before  me,  that  during  the  last  four 
years  there  has  been  a  marked  improvement  in  the 
symmetrical  growth,  as  well  as  in  the  appearance 
and  disposition  of  our  pupils.  Their  muscular 
system  is  stronger,  their  carriage  more  erect,  their 


55 

limbs  are  firmer,  their  lips  fuller  than  heretofore, 
and  even  the  bloom  of  their  cheeks  is  in  many 
instances  flushed  with  faint  vermilion.  By  means 
of  the  military  drill  especially,  some  of  the  most 
awkward  peculiarities  of  blind  youth,  such  as  a 
heavy  use  of  the  feet,  a  stooping  gait,  arms  stuck 
out  from  the  side,  and  an  uncertain  and  irregular 
movement,  have  been  perceptibly  corrected.  In 
brief,  the  exercises  in  the  gymnasium,  added  to  the 
sports  and  frolic  in  which  the  pupils  engage  spon- 
taneously in  the  open  air  during  recesses,  have 
in  general  given  tone  to  the  body  and  animation  to 
the  mind,  vivified  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  pro- 
moted digestion  and  the  process  of  assimilation 
and  waked  up  the  whole  being. 

But  although  the  results  so  far  attained  in  this 
vital  department  of  our  system  of  education  are 
quite  satisfactory,  yet  there  is  still  room  for  greater 
improvement  and  richer  harvest.  There  should  be 
a  decided  Increase  in  the  variety  and  attractiveness 
of  the  exercises,  both  in  the  gymnasium  and  out  of 
doors,  and  an  eagerness  and  enthusiasm  on  the 
part  of  those  who  practise  them.  Our  pupils  must 
constantly  bear  in  mind  the  fact,  that,  unless  sys- 
tematic physical  culture  is  vigorously  pursued  and 
persistently  carried  out  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
lessen  their  organic  weakness,  raise  the  standard 
of  their  strength,  improve  the  capital  stock  of  their 
nervous  force,  and  bring  them  out  hale,  sound,  and 
well  built,  all  efforts  for  intellectual  development 


56 


and  professional  acquirements  will  prove  at  the 
end  futile  and  unavailing,  ^o  lasting  monument 
was  ever  erected  on  a  foundation  of  shifting  sands 
and  decaying  timbers. 

Give  us  a  Kindergarten  I 

Children  are  God's  apostles,  day  by  day 

Sent  forth  to  preach  of  love  and  hope  and  peace. 

Lowell. 

It  has  been  previously  stated  in  these  reports, 
that  much  as  has  already  been  done  for  the  ameli- 
oration of  the  social  and  moral  condition  of  the 
blind,  the  system  of  their  education  is  not  as  yet 
complete.  A  vital  element  is  still  wanting  for  its 
perfection.  The  soil  in  which  its  first  roots  are 
planted  still  needs  to  be  tilled  and  carefully  pre- 
pared. There  is  no  present  provision  for  the 
instruction  and  training  of  little  sightless  children 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  nine.  If  they  remain 
at  home,  they  seem  doomed  to  idleness  and 
inertia,  left  to  bask  in  the  sun  in  summer  and  to 
hang  over  the  fire  in  winter,  passing  through  the 
tenderest  period  of  their  life  without  any  discipline 
or  direction.  The  early  practice  of  Dr.  Howe  of 
receiving  them  under  the  roof  of  the  institution 
and  bringing  them  up  with  older  youth,  has  been 
necessarily  discontinued  by  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  school.  There  is  scarcely  room  enough  in  it 
now  for  the  development  of  its  own  legitimate 
plans    and    the    full   growth    of    its    departments. 


57 

Hence  the  organization  of  a  separate  establishment 
devoted  to  the  education  of  the  smallest  blind 
children  is  not  a  mere  desideratum:  it  is  a  grand 
want  and  an  imperative  necessity. 

To  secure  this,  the  most  valuable,  although  the 
lowest  round  in  the  ladder  of  our  system  of  instruc- 
tion and  training,  an  earnest  and  energetic  appeal 
was  made  a  year  ago  to  the  public  for  the  founda- 
tion and  endowment  of  a  kindergarten,  and  the 
lapse  of  time  only  makes  the  project  seem  more 
important  and  indispensable. 

Whenever  we  reflect,  that  whatever  good  oi-  ill 
we  see  in  the  active  world  around  us  was  culti- 
vated in  the  nurseries  of  a  generation  ago,  we  can 
scarcely  exaggerate  the  importance  of  a  little 
child.  In  him  is  folded  up,  as  it  were,  the  hope  of 
posterity,  just  as  the  future  pride  of  the  forest  is 
enclosed  in  a  tiny  acorn.  As  Kichter  says,  "  The 
clew  of  our  destiny,  wander  where  we  will,  lies  at 
the  cradle-foot."  But  the  little  creature,  the 
incipient  man  or  woman,  is  in  our  power.  The 
opening  intellect,  the  budding  feelings  and  capac- 
ities and  the  dawning  conscience  are  committed 
to  our  care;  and  the  child,  in  all  his  vast  relations, 
will  largely  be  just  what  we  make  him.  We 
hold  in  our  hand  the  seal  with  which  the  soft, 
ductile,  impressive  wax  of  infant  character  is  to 
be  moulded. 

Educated  our  children  must  be,  whether  we  will 
or  not.      Whether  we  think  of  it  or  not,  we  are 


58 


forming  them  every  day.  By  our  speech  and  by 
our  silence,  by  our  looks  and  by  the  tones  of  our 
voice,  by  our  habits  and  peculiarities,  by  our  con- 
versation with  each  other,  by  our  companions,  by 
every  incident  which  our  little  ones  witness,  they 
are  swiftly  and  surely  trained  to  what  they  will  be 
hereafter. 

It  is  of  vast  importance  therefore  to  adopt  the 
right  principles  of  education  for  all  children  as 
soon  as  they  begin  to  notice  things  around  them, 
and  to  protect  them  by  watchful  care  and  parental 
solicitude  from  all  moral  infections  at  the  time 
when  lasting  impressions  are  made  either  for  good 
or  for  evil,  and  when  character  is  first  taking  form. 
But  this  necessity  is  immeasurably  greater  in  the 
case  of  those  among  them  upon  whom  the  hand  of 
affliction  and  misery  is  heavily  laid,  and  to  whom 
no  day  of  hopefulness  returns  with  the  seasons  of 
the  year. 

It  is  beyond  doubt  that  the  souls  of  these  tiny 
human  beings  have  in  them  something  of  that 
cloud  of  glory  of  which  the  poet  sings.  Ko  ■ 
matter  how  hideous  and  unclean  their  lives  may 
be,  they  have  susceptibilities  that  can  be  touched 
by  the  magic  wand  of  kindness  and  beauty.  They 
have  hearts  which  can  be  reached  by  the  radiance 
of  love  and  sympathy.  Like  all  other  children, 
they  are  blessed  with  the  germs  of  mental  fac- 
ulties, natural  aptitudes  and  moral  excellences, 
which  can  be  fostered  by  culture  and  brought  to 


59 


fruition  by  training.  But,  born  for  the  most  part 
in  the  folds  of  misery  and  vice  and  the  by-ways  of 
ignorance  and  depravity,  and  cut  off  in  so  great  a 
degree  from  communion  with  the  external  world, 
they  are  the  prisoners  of  wretchedness  and  the 
stricken  lambs  of  the  human  flock.  The  enjoy- 
ments of  childhood,  the  pleasures  of  life  and  the 
comforts  of  home  are  utterly  unknown  to  them. 
Not  a  glimmer  of  gladness  enters  the  dark  cham- 
ber of  their  isolation,  not  a  breath  of  happiness 
lightens  the  heavy  pressure  of  the  iron  veil  of  their 
calamity.  There  is  no  affectionate  sympathy 
enveloping  them  in  its  ample  mantle  of  charity, 
until,  with  love's  searching  lens,  some  saving  germs 
can  be  found  and  nourished.  Their  environment 
is  pregnant  with  pernicious  influences,  which  stunt 
their  natural  growth,  and  produce  such  physical 
peculiarities,  intellectual  distortions  and  moral 
deformities,  as  no  amount  of  skilful  training  in 
later  years  can  eradicate.  Thrust  out  of  sight  in 
ill-ventilated  and  unhealthy  quarters,  or  crowded 
into  the  street,  abandoned  to  negligence  and  rust, 
or  kicked  and  cuff'ed  and  driven  about,  these 
unfortunate  children  tread  with  weary  feet  and 
wasted  strength  their  thorn-strewn  path  of  early 
life  through  the  midst  of  indigence  and  distress, 
want  and  privation,  sorrow  and  sufl'ering.  The 
bread  they  eat,  the  air  they  breathe  and  the  talk 
they  hear,  are  all  either  injurious  to  their  health  or 
poisonous  to  their  character.     The  foxes  in  their 


60 

holes,  the  birds  in  their  nests  and  the  insects  in 
their  habitations  have  far  better  care  and  guidance 
than  these  little  human  forms.  When  I  think  of 
the  dens  in  which  most  of  them  are  housed,  and  of 
the  squalid  dwellings  in  which  they  are  herded, 
without  furniture,  without  clothing  save  a  few  rags 
for  decency,  and  with  a  very  limited  quantity  of 
unwholesome  food,  sufficing  only  to  maintain  a 
dwarfed  existence,  —  and  compare  them  with  the 
homes  of  the  rich,  with  satin  and  velvet  for  their 
soft  seats,  and  costly,  warm  carpets  and  hangings 
and  wasteful  profusion  of  luxuries,  and  fires  and 
bright  lights,  with  books  and  pictures  and  per- 
fumes, and  pure  air  and  spring  water,  and  cleanli- 
ness, and  all  that  the  others  lack,  —  oh !  I  cannot 
but  wonder  at  the  magnitude  of  the  inequality,  and 
I  feel  compelled  to  raise  my  feeble  voice,  and,  in 
the  name  of  humanity  and  eternal  justice,  to  ask  a 
fair  and  prompt  cure  for  some  of  its  most  striking 
features  at  least. 

The  remedy  for  this  palpable  injustice,  and  the 
salvation  and  future  welfare  of  these  children,  who, 
in  the  words  of  Richter,  unfortunate  as  they  ipay 
be,  are  "  nearest  to  the  throne  of  glory,  as  the 
smallest  planets  are  most  approximate  to  the  sun," 
are  to  be  found  exclusively  in  the  immediate  pro- 
vision of  means  and  measures  for  their  early  care 
and  systematic  training.  They  should  be  speedily 
removed  from  their  surroundings  and  placed  under 
the  most  genial  influences  and  thorough  cultiva- 


61 


tion.  It  is  by  this  means  that  the  seeds  of  good 
qualities  in  them  are  to  be  vivified  and  germinate 
before  the  ground  is  given  to  weeds  and  tares.  It  is 
this  that  will  prevent  their  humble  talent  from  being 
buried  in  the  depths  of  helplessness,  or  becoming 
rotten  in  the  marshes  of  abuse  or  in  the  morasses 
of  indulgence.  It  is  this,  more  than  anything  else, 
that  will  kindle  in  them  that  sacred  spark  which 
illumines  life  with  beauty  and  lights  the  flame  on 
every  altar  where  man  sacrifices  his  baser  instincts 
to  lofty  ideals.  It  is  this  alone  that  will  develop 
and  strengthen  the  wings  oi  dignity  and  self- 
respect,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  out-soa*-  the  endur- 
ing darkness  of  affliction  and  the  distressing 
atmosphere  of  pauperism.  Energetic  husbandry 
in  the  spring  brings  good  fruition  in  the  autumn. 
We  can  hardly  expect  to  see  a  perfect  tree  if  we 
let  the  twig  get  warped  and  twisted  at  the  outset. 
By  raising  these  little  waifs  from  a  state  of  sloth 
and  torpor  to  one  of  comfort  and  diligence,  by 
teaching  them  by  precept  and  example  to  love 
truth  and  uprightness  of  conduct  and  to  hate 
falsehood  and  deception,  and  by  instructing  them 
in  habits  of  industry  and  cleanliness,  we  shall 
engender  in  them  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  and  inde- 
pendence, and  a  feeling  of  respect  for  others,  lay 
the  foundations  of  sterling  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, and  turn  the  whole  current  of  their  lives  in 
the  right  direction.  The  blind  persons  whom  we 
see  occasionally  in  the  streets  of  our  large  cities 


62 


with  a  placard  on  the  breast  heralding  their  mis- 
fortune, and  with  a  forlorn  little  dog  for  a  guide, 
deeply  touch  the  hearts  of  the  passers-by,  and  the 
pennies  drop  into  the  basket  held  in  the  poodle's 
mouth  at  no  slow  and  niggard  rate :  but  at  the 
same  time  their  presence  reflects  very  unfavorably 
upon  the  wisdom  of  our  social  economy,  and 
attaches  a  disgrace  to  our  civilization;  and  I  know 
of  no  measure  which  Avill  help  more  effectually  to 
erase  these  blots  and  create  a  new  era  of  advance- 
ment and  happiness  than  careful  education  and 
thorough  training  during  the  first  foiu'  or  five  years 
of  the  lives  of  these  infants,  which  are  now  either 
wasted  or,  what  is  worse  than  this,  given  to  the 
devil  and  his  ministers. 

The  diflerence  between  the  neglected  and  the 
educated  sightless  child  is  almost  incredibly  great. 
While  the  former  "  wends  his  way "  through  life 
like  an  imkempt  creature,  the  latter,  gladdened  by 
the  genial  warmth  of  knowledge  and  fitted  for  the 
discharge  of  duty  and  general  usefulness,  takes 
his  station  as  a  member  of  the  human  family,  con- 
tributes his  share  to  the  common  weal,  and  enjoys 
the  privileges  and  fulfils  the  obligations  of  citizen- 
ship, thus  forming  an  integral  part  of  society. 
The  crowning  of  all  these  inestimable  advantages 
is  that  the  clouds  of  night  folded  round  him  no 
longer  render  his  existence  unhappy.  For  a  culti- 
vated mind  is  not  dark  and  gloomy  because  the 
light  of  the  sun  and  of  the  stars  is  shut  out  from  it  ; 


63 

but,  like  the  fabled  cavern,  it  glows  with  the  gems 
which  adorn  it  within. 

For  the  accomplishment  of  this  grand  end,  and 
the  attainment  of  such  valuable  results  in  the 
largest  possible  number  of  cases,  a  primary  school 
for  little  sightless  children  should  be  at  once  estab- 
lished. As  there  is  not  room  for  it  on  the  prem- 
ises of  this  institution,  and,  moreover,  as  it  is  not 
desirable  on  many  accounts  to  locate  it  here,  it 
should  be  placed  in  Dorchester,  Roxbury,  Jamaica 
Plain,  or  elsewhere  within  three  or  four  miles  of 
the  state  house.  It  should  occupy  a  lot  of  high 
and  well-drained  land,  in  a  healthy  and  pleasant 
situation,  comprising  five  acres  at  least.  It  should 
be  organized  on  sound  progressive  principles,  and 
controlled  by  a  board  of  trustees  consisting  of  the 
most  disinterested  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Boston.  Its  aims  and  purposes  should  be  clearly 
defined,  and  there  should  be  nothing  eleemosj^nary 
either  in  its  title,  charter,  rules  or  regulations 
which  might  compromise  its  educational  character. 
Its  permanent  existence  and  entire  independence 
of  political  or  sectarian  influences  should  be 
secured  and  guaranteed  by  an  endowment  fund  of 
$250,000,  and  its  doors  should  be  wide  open  to  all 
little  sightless  children  of  whatever  station  and 
condition,  and  to  a  limited  number  of  seeing  ones, 
who  would  serve  as  their  associates,  playmates  and 
companions.  They  should  be  kept  until  the  age 
of   twelve,    and    taught    and    trained    objectively 


64 

according  to  the  rational  and  philosophic  methods 
developed  in  Froebel's  kindergarten. 

This  system  is  admirably  suited  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  blind  infants,  containing,  as  it  does,  within 
itself  the  power  of  awakening  an  inner  force  com- 
pelling them  to  manliness  and  righteousness,  and 
of  counteracting  morbid  feelings  and  peculiarities 
flowing  from  the  loss  of  sight.  It  is  founded  on 
the  broad  principle  that  the  highest  type  of 
humanity  which  education  can  produce  is  to  be 
attained  by  the  equal  and  simultaneous  develop- 
ment of  every  faculty.  It  provides  for  the  nour- 
ishment of  each  root  of  the  character  in  its 
earliest  stage,  on  the  ground  that  all  are  indis- 
pensable to  a  noble  and  perfect  growth.  It  seeks 
to  create  in  the  child  whatever  tends  to  unify  him 
in  every  direction  of  his  evolution.  Unity  is  the 
fundamental  thought  which  pervades  the  system. 
It  is  the  main  stay  of  the  whole  structure.  Every- 
thing rests  on  it,  proceeds  from  it,  strives  for  it, 
leads  and  returns  to  it.  The  real  difference  be- 
tween the  kindergarten  and  the  ordinary  school- 
room is  in  the  spirit,  not  in  the  methods.  In  the 
one,  the  order  is  made  and  the  work  mostly  done 
by  the  pupils  themselves  ;  in  the  other,  by  the 
teachers.  Froebel  does  not  treat  children  as  par- 
rots, who  are  to  be  made  to  perform  certain  tasks 
and  to  acquire  such  and  such  tricks,  but  views 
them  as  creatures  of  infinite  capability  for  doing 
and   learning,    whose    own   instincts    and    desires 


(j5 

must  be  turned  towards  the  things  that  we  deem 
desirable.  The  standard  of  this  system  is  not  one 
of  attainment  for  a  given  age,  but  of  the  full  and 
perfect  development  of  humanity.  Its  games, 
while  they  doubtless  are  a  source  of  amusement  to 
the  children  in  school,  are  also  the  tools,  so  to 
speak,  to  aid  the  teacher  in  her  labors.  Attention, 
accuracy,  quickness  of  invention,  a  sense  of  har- 
mony, fertility  of  imagination,  the  love  of  con- 
struction, and  the  first  principles  of  reasoning,  are 
taught  by  means  of  the  gifts  or  simple  toys,  while 
nicety  and  dexterity  of  handling  and  pleasure  in 
active  exertion  are  promoted  by  every  exercise. 
The  peculiarity  of  the  kindergarten  is,  that  the  play 
is  invariably  turned  to  a  useful  account.  Through 
its  instrumentalit}^  slumbering  faculties  are  to  be 
aroused,  drowsy  inclinations  to  be  enlivened,  and 
the  powder  of  reflection  cultivated.  In  this  system 
there  is  no  end  of  learning,  no  acme  of  perfection. 
Moreover,  Froebel  is  never  weary  of  repeatino- 
that  man  must  not  only  hiow,  but  produce,  not 
only  tM7ik,  but  do;  and  that  the  capacity  for  work 
must  be  fostered  m  early  life,  side  by  side  with  the 
faculty  of  observation  and  comprehension,  before 
the  memory  is  burdened  with  w^ords  and  symbols. 
These  habits,  valuable  as  they  may  be,  are  only 
a  part  of  the  choice  fi-uits  of  the  kindergarten, 
^or  is  the  training  thereby  obtained  directed 
solely,  or  even  principally,  to  the  mind.  It  takes 
the    child's    whole    nature,    aiding    its    expansion 


66 

physically  and  morally,  as  well  as  intellectually. 
The  rhythmical  movement,  the  marching  and  sing- 
ing, the  play  and  the  merriment,  all  contribute  to 
health.  They  improve  the  senses,  increase  the 
muscular  strength,  and  make  the  limbs  supple  and 
the  heart  cheery. 

Moral  culture  is  also  carried  on  through  the 
habit  of  strict  obedience  under  a  gentle  law. 
Froebel  appeals  to'  the  higher  nature  of  little 
human  beings,  to  their  generosity,  their  sense  of 
right,  their  devotion  to  truth,  their  appreciation  of 
goodness  and  self-sacrifice,  in  the  most  effective 
and  practical  manner.  The  ordinary  dogmatic 
method  pursued  in  the  common  schools  is  far  in- 
ferior to  his.  The  one  orders  conduct,  the  other 
cultivates  motives.  The  one  teaches  catechisms  to 
little  children,  the  other  sharpens  their  mental 
vision  to  see  beauty  and  goodness,  and  leads  the 
soul  heavenward.  The  one  uses  habit,  —  the 
great  power  of  education,  —  as  an  outward  re- 
straint, the  other  as  an  inward  regulator.  The 
one  disapproves  of  a  lie  as  much  as  the  other;  but 
the  latter  brings  intellectual  tendencies  and  associ- 
ations to  aid  the  moral  precepts  and  makes  clear- 
ness and  precision  so  essential  to  the  pupil's  daily 
enjoyment  of  his  occupations  and  diversions,  that 
all  the  channels  to  untruth,  such  as  exaggera- 
tion, confusedness  of  mind  and  incorrectness  of 
speech,  are  cut  off.  So  far  as  the  child's  horizon 
extends,  he  perceives  distinctly  and  speaks  plainly. 


67 


and  this  atmosphere  of  intellectual  veracity  in 
which  he  lives  is  promotive  of  the  growth  of  moral 
rectitude. 

The  average  intelligence  and  mental  activity  of 
children  taught  in  the  kindergarten  is  infinitely  su- 
perior to  that  of  pupils  who  enter  primary  schools 
without  such  training.  The  former  are  more  or 
less  accustomed  to  exert  themselves  in  the  search 
for  information,  and  prepared  to  advance  more 
surely  and  steadily  than  the  latter.  They  gener- 
ally perceive  things  accurately,  seize  ideas  rapidly 
and  definitely,  illustrate  readily,  work  indepen- 
dently, and  express  their  thoughts  with  correctness 
and  fluency.  To  persons  bereft  of  sight  Froebel's 
system  promises  even  higher  and  richer  results 
than  these.  It  aff'ords  them  unequalled  facilities 
for  gaining  an  adequate  conception  of  forms  of 
various  kinds  and  rare  opportunities  for  the  prac- 
tice and  refinement  of  their  remaining  senses, 
especially  that  of  touch,  which  is  their  chief  reli- 
ance for  the  acquisition  of  all  concrete  knowledge, 
and  consequently  the  most  important  factor  of  their 
education.  Above  all,  and  with  infinitely  greater 
force  than  all,  the  drill  obtained  through  its  exer- 
cises so  early  in  life,  under  such  genial  influences, 
will  save  many  a  bUnd  child  from  dwindling  and 
becoming  dwarfed,  and  will  prove  a  valuable  aux- 
iliary for  future  achievements.  It  will  help  to  raise 
the  standard  of  attainments  in  this  school  to  a 
higher  plane,  to  enlarge  its  curriculum  so  as  to  in- 


68 

elude  the  study  of  sciences  and  languages,  and  to 
increase  and  extend  still  more  widely  the  sphere  of 
its  general  usefulness.  A  great  part  of  the  time 
which  is  now  necessarily  spent  in  mere  primary 
routine  work  and  elementary  training,  can  then  be 
devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  advanced  studies,  both 
in  the  literary  and  musical  departments,  and  to  a 
thorough  preparation  for  a  professional  or  other 
calling.  Moreover,  the  path  up  the  steep  hill  of 
knoAvledge  will  start  from  the  lowest  point  and  be 
a  continuous  one  to  its  summit.  There  will  be  no 
chasms  for  the  tender  feet  to  leap,  no  precipices  for 
them  to  scale.  Thus  there  will  be  a  positive  and 
most  significant  gain  at  both  ends,  which  will  in 
some  measure  pave  the  way  for  the  solution  of  the 
great  problem  of  the  higher  education  for  the  blind 
and  their  thorough  equipment  for  the  struggle  of 
existence. 

So  far  as  our  pupils  are  concerned,  the  great  and 
lasting  benefits  of  the  kindergarten  system  are  not 
imaginary.  Nor  do  they  rest  upon  mere  specula- 
tion or  a  i^riori  reasoning.  They  are  real,  sub- 
stantial, tangible,  gathered  in  the  field  of  experi- 
ence and  confirmed  by  the  test  of  time.  Froebel's 
wonderful  methods  have  been  introduced  and  prac- 
tised in  our  school  for  the  last  three  years,  and 
their  results  have  been  truly  marvellous.  Children 
whose  faculties  had  been  weakened  and  enervated 
by  unwise  indulgence  or  benumbed  by  the  frost  of 
privation,  and  who,  sinking   gradually  into  slug- 


69 

gishness  and  feeble-mindedness,  were  averse  even  to 
locomotion  and  unable  to  do  anything  elsewhere, 
have  made  remarkable  advancement  under  its  in- 
fluence. Boys  and  girls  wiio  seemed  entirely  help- 
less and  had  no  command  whatever  of  their  hands, 
have  been  roused  to  energy  and  activity  by  its 
agency.  Through  the  simple  but  lively  and  at- 
tractive occupations  of  sewing,  stick-laying,  weav- 
ing, cube  building,  moulding  in  clay  and  the  like, 
they  have  acquired  a  great  degree  of  muscular 
elasticity  and  manual  dexterity,  which  is  of  infi- 
nite assistance  to  them  in  deciphering  the  embossed 
pi'int  easily,  in  writing  their  letters  skilfully,  in 
tracing  on  the  maps  with  alacrity,  in  examining 
objects  intelligently,  in  stringing  beads  promptly, 
in  using  their  needles  deftly,  in  tying  the  strings 
of  their  shoes  neatly,  and,  moreover,  in  doing 
readily  a  number  of  other  things  which  they  would 
have  felt  unable  to  undertake  without  this  training. 
These  efl*ects  are  succinctly  but  graphically  de- 
scribed in  the  October  number  of  the  Wide  Awake 
by  Miss  Emilie  Poulsson,  a  graduate  of  our  school 
and  a  teacher  of  broad  culture  and  uncommon 
talent.  Her  excellent  account  of  the  "  blind  child- 
ren's kindergarten,"  beautifully  illustrated  by  the 
artistic  hand  of  Miss  L.  B.  Humphrey,  and  teem- 
ing with  points  in  which  the  necessary  faculty  of 
judicious  criticism  is  tempered  by  sympathetic  feel- 
ing and  keen  insight  blended  with  unfailing  dis- 
crimination, is  so  interesting    and    so  exhaustive, 


70 

that  I  take  great  pleasure  in  reprinting  it  as  an  ap- 
pendix to  this  report,  by  the  kind  and  courteous 
permission  of  Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.,  publish- 
ers of  the  magazine. 

Those  of  our  pupils  who  have  tasted  the  fruits 
of  the  kindergarten  and  have  learned  to  appreciate 
their  value  and  importance,  have  become  so  infat- 
uated with  it,  that  they  are  most  eager  to  secure  its 
blessings  permanently  for  their  smaller  brothers 
and  sisters  in  misfortune.  To  this  end  they  labor 
incessantly,  unswervingly,  enthusiastically.  As  the 
sudden  termination  of  the  last  school  session 
thwarted  the  plans  and  preparations  of  our  girls 
for  giving  a  concert  in  one  of  the  neighboring 
towns  at  their  own  risk  for  the  benefit  of  this  en- 
terprise, they  have  determined  to  make  up  the  loss 
in  various  other  ways.  The  members  of  the  third 
class  especially,  who  furnished  most  of  the  inci- 
dents related  in  Miss  Poulsson's  article,  have  shown 
an  exemplary  perseverance  and  touching  devotion 
in  this  direction.  One  of  them,  Fanny  E.  Jack- 
son of  Bridgewater,  twelve  years  of  age,  raised 
$5.30  for  the  "  blind  children's  kindergarten,"  by 
taking  care  of  a  baby  and  washing  dishes  during 
the  summer  vacation.  Another,  Mary  Callahan  of 
Palmer,  earned  a  smaller  sum  by  scrubbing  floors 
and  making  wool  mats.  A  third,  Mary  Meleady 
of  East  Boston,  sewed  pieces  for  a  bedquilt,  there- 
by earning  one  dollar  for  the  same  purpose.  Sev- 
eral others  have  endeavored  to  help  the  cause  to 


71 

the  best  of  their  ability,  and  have  raised  money  to 
contribute  to  its  furtherance  either  by  taking  care 
of  infants  and  cleaning  kitchen  and  table  utensils, 
or  by  bringing  the  matter  to  the  notice  of  their 
neighbors  and  soliciting  subscriptions  from  their 
friends  and  acquaintances.  The  most  striking 
feature  of  this  juvenile  movement  was  its  spon- 
taneity and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  little  workers. 
To  be  sure,  the  amount  of  money  raised  through 
their  exertions  is  small,  very  small  indeed, — 
only  $11.55;  — but  the  earnestness  of  their  efforts 
is  full  of  pathos  and  significance.  It  tells  the 
whole  story  so  eloquently  and  persnasively,  that  in 
its  light  all  mere  arguments  in  favor  of  the  project 
seem  pale  and  flat  by  comparison.  Moreover,  it 
shows  to  those  who  roll  in  the  abundance  of  riches, 
that    "  sweet   mercy    is    nobility's   true  badge." 

"  Who  does  the  best  his  circumstance  allows. 
Does  well,  acts  nobly  ;  angels  could  no  more  " 

May  the  small  sum  raised  in  the  spirit  of  true 
love  and  self-denial  be  like  leaven  to  the  generous 
contributions  of  the  wealthy,  and  render  them  the 
bread  of  life  for  hungering  humanity ! 

In  view  of  these  facts  and  in  consideration  of 
the  beneficent  and  far-reaching  aspects  of  the  plan, 
it  will  easily  be  seen,  that  a  well-fitted  and  suffi- 
ciently endowed  kindergarten  will  be  to  little  sight- 
less children  what  the  light  of  the  sun  and  the  dew 
of  heaven  are  to  tender  plants,  —  a  source  of  life  and 


72 

growth  and  power,  a  flame  dispelling  the  clouds  of 
darkness,  a  fountain  of  happiness  and  strength,  a 
radiant  centre  of  illuminating  force,  helping  them 
to  out-soar  the  shadows  of  their  night.  It  will 
prove  an  armory  from  which  they  will  draw  the 
most  eff'ective  weapons  to  fight  the  battle  of  life 
successfully.  It  will  be  a  psalm  of  their  deliver- 
ance from  the  clutches  of  misery,  a  hymn  to  the 
dawn  of  an  era  of  freedom  and  independence,  a 
benediction  on  the  benevolence  of  our  age.  To 
those  who  aid  it  to  spring  into  being,  such  an  in- 
stitution will  be  a  monument  of  enduring  fame, 
reaching  to  the  stars,  yea,  to  the  great  white  throne 
itself,  studded  on  all  sides  with  the  gems  of  the 
lives  of  honorable  men  and  women  saved  from  the 
stagnant  pools  of  vice  by  a  kind  hand  reached  out 
in  season. 

Scores  of  little  children  are  now  virtually  wait- 
ing to  partake  of  the  benefits  of  such  an  establish- 
ment. They  are  famishing  for  the  intellectual  and 
moral  food  which  it  promises  to  supply  to  them. 
Plunged  in  a  sea  of  ills,  they  stretch  their  helpless 
hands  towards  the  shore,  calling  for  a  life-boat, 
and  I  almost  seem  to  hear  them  speak  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  poet,  and  say,  in  mournful  accents 
of  supplication, — 

"  Save  us  !  save  us  !  woe  suiTounds  us  ; 
Little  knowledge  sore  confounds  us  ; 
Life  is  but  a  lins:erins:  deatli. 


73 

Give  us  light  amid  our  darkness  ; 
Let  us  know  the  good  from  ill ; 
Hate  us  not  for  all  our  blindness ; 
Love  us,  lead  us,  show^  us  kindness, 
'  You  can  make  us  what  you  will. 

We  are  willing ;  we  are  ready  ; 

We  Avould  learn  if  you  would  teach ; 
We  have  hearts  that  yearn  towards  duty ; 
We  have  minds  alive  to  beauty ; 

Souls  that  any  heights  can  reach." 

Who  that  hath  a  heart  not  palsied  by  selfishness 
can  resist  such  an  entreaty?  Who  can  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  so  piteous  and  pathetic  a  call?  Think  of 
this  imperative  need,  ye  friends  of  humanity,  and 
then  say  how  much  longer  it  shall  be  permitted  to 
exist!  Reflect  upon  the  sufferings  of  these  poor 
blind  waifs,  ye  fathers  and  mothers,  and  then,  gather- 
ing your  darlings  to  your  bosoms,  rejoice  that  they 
do  not  go  down  darkling  to  the  grave,  and  that  they 
have  the  pure  wheat  and  the  sweet  waters  of  life 
in  plenitude.  But  at  the  same  time  remember, 
that  the  "  faintest  flaw  in  one  of  the  links  of  cir- 
cumstance, or  an  imperceptible  turn  or  stoppage  in 
the  wheel  of  fortune,"  might  leave  your  little  ones 
homeless,  sightless,  speechless  or  mere  lumps  of 
clay,  without  care  and  protection!  These  helpless 
children  are  in  no  manner  to  blame  that  they  are 
blind.  The  fault  is  that  of  others,  perhaps  is  to 
be  found  in  the  very  social  fabric  which  pours  gold 
into  the  coffers  of  the  rich;  —  the  misfortune  alone, 
and    the   consequent    privations,    alas!    are  theirs. 


74 

But  be  the  cause  where  it  may,  are  these  poor  in- 
fauts  to  be  allowed  to  run  the  cycle  of  their 
life  under  the  crushing  weight  of  their  infirmity? 
Is  it  fiiir  that  a  great  blight  should  be  permitted  to 
settle  down  on  their  character  like  a  foul  vapor, 
and  prevent  healthy  growth?  Is  it  just,  is  it 
human  that  the  current  of  their  existence  should 
be  left  to  flow  in  a  tumultuous  course  fi'om  the 
sunny  fountain-head  to  the  dark  ocean?  Are  there 
no  men  and  women  in  the  folds  of  benevolence 
generous  enough  and  willing  to  help  in  this  work 
of  pure  philanthropy  and  reformation,  thus  bend- 
ing their  heads  to  receive  the  crown,  in  which  will 
shine  like  pearls  and  diamonds,  the  tears  of  joy 
and  gratitude  shed  by  those  whom  their  muni- 
ficence has  saved  and  blessed? 

This  enterprise  has  already  been  considered  in 
all  quarters,  and  it  seems  to  have  gained  friends 
everywhere.  The  preliminaries  are  now  despatched, 
and  the  necessary  preparations  for  active  can- 
vassing are  nearly  completed.  The  time  for  real 
work  and  for  practical  generosity  and  support  has 
come.  All  the  omens  are  favorable.  But  no  great 
undertaking  goes  on  its  own  feet.  We  have  to 
furnish  it  with  wings  born  of  our  earnestness,  our 
fidelity  and  our  devotion.  The  fact  that  so  much 
has  recently  been  done  for  the  blind  in  the  way  of 
embossing  books  may  deter  some  of  their  best 
friends  from  urging  their  claims  vigorously  on  the 
attention  of  the  public.     For  myself,  deeply  grate- 


ful  as  I  am  for  past  favors,  and  much  as  I  shrink 
from  calling  again  upon  the  benevolent  for  aid,  I 
deem  it  my  solemn  duty  to  do  so  promptly  and  with- 
out hesitation,  notwithstanding  the  unpleasant 
features  of  the  task.  I  feel  the  sting  of  the  neglect 
endured  by  suffering  humanity  piercing  my  soul, 
and  I  cannot  be  lukewarm  an}^  longer.  I  have  cheer- 
fully, gladly,  deliberately  and  unequivocally  accep- 
ted Froebel's  grand  call  to  "  live  for  little  children," 
and  have  determined  to  devote  whatever  powers  I 
may  possess  heartily  and  disinterestedly  to  the 
amelioration  of  their  condition.  My  own  experi- 
ence in  early  childhood  brings  their  woes  nearer  to 
my  heart,  and  every  cry  for  bread  or  raiment,  for 
shelter  or  education  finds  a  responsive  chord  in  it. 
My  desire  to  help  them  is  so  sincere  and  warm, 
that  I  am  prepared  to  put  aside  all  personal  con- 
siderations and  convenience  in  order  to  carry  it 
out.  Here  or  elsewhere,  under  the  auspices  of 
your  organization  or  those  of  a  new  one,  with  others 
or  alone,  I  am  determined  to  labor  for  them  with 
the  zeal  of  a  true  friend  and  the  enthusiasm  of  a 
believer  in  their  cause.  This  is  not  a  statement 
made  at  random  or  on  the  spur  of  impulse.  It  is 
a  resolve  formed  from  a  profound  sense  of  duty. 
It  is  a  conviction  made  strong  and  permanent  by 
the  actual  observation  of  so  much  misery  and  wick- 
edness. It  is  a  decision  produced  by  the  careful 
study  of  the  effects  of  blindness  and  of  the  means 
for  their  alleviation.     This  project  is  uppermost  in 


76 


all  my  thoughts,  feelings,  actions  and  aspirations. 
"  Bating  not  a  jot  of  heart  or  hope,"  I  must  work 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  until  it  is  accomplished. 
Perplexed  as  I  often  am  by  its  difficulties, 
now  urged  forward,  now  discouraged  and  held 
back,  always  striving  after  success,  wearied  and 
hampered  by  various  obstacles,  the  only  pleasure 
that  never  fails  me  is  the  faith,  that  a  kindergarten 
for  sightless  children  will  ere  long  be  founded  and 
endowed.  The  consummation  of  this  noble  enter- 
prise will  be  the  realization  of  the  sweetest  dream 
that  I  may  have  beneath  the  skies. 

JN^OTABLE    AnNIVERSAHIES. 

Two  very  interesting  anniversaries  were  celebra- 
ted at  the  institution  during  the  past  year,  the 
thirtieth  of  Miss  Moulton's  matronship  and  the 
fiftieth  of  Miss  Caroline  Augusta  Sawyer's  connec- 
tion with  the  establishment. 

The  festival  in  honor  of  Miss  Moulton  was  held 
on  the  3d  of  January,  and  was  a  very  touching 
occasion.  The  hall  was  very  tastefully  decorated, 
and  was  crowded  with  friends  and  acquaintances, 
as  well  as  with  the  pupils  and  officers  of  the  insti- 
tution. Beautiful  presents  were  brought  as  offer- 
ings, and  a  great  deal  of  delightful  music  was  fur- 
nished by  the  school.  Pertinent  addresses  were 
made  by  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe, —  who  also 
wrote  a  song  for  the  occasion,  —  Rev.  James  Reed, 
Samuel  G.  Snelling  and  Prof.  T.  O.  Paine,    and 


77 

poems  were  prepared  by  Mrs.  Anagnos,  Henry  W. 
Strattoii  and  others.  A  life-size  portrait  of  Miss 
Moulton  had  been  placed  under  the  folds  of  the 
flags  which  draped  the  organ,  and  was  unveiled  at 
a  given  signal.  All  in  attendance  were  deeply 
moved  by  the  pathos  and  the  sweet  spirit  of  the 
occasion,  and  our  honored  matron  was  hailed  with 
all  the  enthusiasm  which  her  lifelong  devotion  to 
the  institution,  to  the  blind  and  to  the  cause  of 
humanity  in  general  richly  merit. 

Another  fete  of  a  similar  character  was  celebra- 
ted on  the    19th   of  March,     in     commemoration 
of  the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  Miss  Caro- 
line Augusta  Sawyer's  connection  with  the  insti- 
tution.    The  occasion  was  as  complete  a  surprise 
to  the  honored  lady  as  that  of  Miss  Moulton  had 
been  to  her.     The   exercises    were    opened    with 
a  brief    account    of    her    arrival    in    Boston    on 
the  18th  of  March,  1833,  and  joining  the  little  group 
of  nine  sightless  children,  whom  Dr.  Howe    had 
already  gathered  in  his  father's  house  on  Pleasant 
street  as  the  nucleus  of  the  institution,  and  of  the 
valuable  services  which  she  has  rendered  to    the 
school  most  of  the  time  since  her  graduation.     At 
the  conclusion  of  these  remarks,  an  excellent  pro- 
gramme was  performed,  consisting  of  music,  both 
vocal  and  instrumental,  original  poems  and  a  most 
appropriate  address  by  the  Rev.  William  P.  Tilden, 
who  gave  in  his  inimitable  and  exquisite  style  some 
delightful  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Howe  and  of  Miss 


78 

Sawyer's  early  life.  The  large  audience  manifested 
a  hearty  appreciation  both  of  the  festival  and  of 
the  person  in  whose  honor  it  was  held;  and,  on 
adjourning  from  the  hall  to  her  usual  sitting-room, 
Miss  Sawyer  found  a  tree  laden  with  fifty  presents, 
symbolizing  her  fifty  years  of  service  and  friend- 
liness to  the  establishment,  of  which  she  is  so 
valued  a  member. 

Aid  those  who  strive  to  help  Themselves. 

There  is  a  large  number  of  blind  young  men  and 
women  all  over  the  country,  who  are  striving  earn- 
estly to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  their  infirmity 
and  become  self-supporting ;  but  who  cannot  possi- 
bly succeed  unless  they  are  thoroughly  equipped 
for  the  purpose. 

These  persons  are  as  a  general  rule  very  indus- 
trious and  exceedingly  intelligent.  They  are 
mostly  graduates  of  institutions  in  their  respec- 
tive states,  where  they  labor  for  many  years  faith- 
fully and  assiduously  to  get  what  they  consider  a 
good  education.  But  soon  after  graduation  they 
find  that  their  training  is  incomplete  and  their 
professional  acquirements  are  too  inadequate  to  en- 
able them  to  earn  their  living.  Consequently  they 
often  seek  admission  here,  in  order  that  they  may  re- 
ceive further  instruction  and  qualify  themselves  for 
the  duties  of  practical  life.  From  several  applica- 
tions of  this  kind  addressed  to  me  recently  I  select 
the  following,  w^hich  was  written  by  a  graduate  of 


79 

one  of  the  largest  schools  for  the  blind  in  the  West, 
and  which  states  the  whole   matter  concisely  and 

vividly :  — 

"  Dear  Sir  :  — Although  a  graduate  of  the  institution 

for  the  blind,  I  do  not  feel  competent  to  make  my  wa}^  in  life. 
I  wish  to  study  music  and  prepare  ra3-self  for  a  teacher's  post 
and  render  my  life  useful,  so  that  I  may  not  be  a  burden  to  my 
friends.  M}'  parents  are  poor,  and  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
attend  a  conservators'  or  study  privately.  I  ask  of  you  there- 
fore as  a  favor  of  kindness  to  admit  me  to  your  school.  I  am 
not  able  to  pa}'  $300  tuition  as  stated  in  your  catalogue.  If  it 
is  impossible  for  you  to  admit  me  free,  please  to  send  me  tbe 
very  best  terras  which  you  can  possibly  give  me.  I  know  of  no 
other  place,  where  I  will  receive  proper  instruction,  and  I  do 
beg  of  3'ou  to  give  me  the  best  terms  possible." 

It  was  with  sincere  regret  that  I  could  not 
grant  this  request,  for  two  reasons:  first,  on  ac- 
count of  the  writer's  being  beyond  the  age  pre- 
scribed by  the  by-laws  of  this  institution;  and 
secondly,  because  we  had  no  means  at  our  disposal 
to  pay  the  whole  or  a  portion  of  the  actual  cost  for 
his  board  and  tuition.  My  grief  was  intensified  by 
the  fact  that  I  was  perfectly  aware  that  a  little 
help  given  to  him  at  so  critical  a  period  in  his  life, 
might  have  brightened  his  future  prospects  and 
opened  to  him  a  career  of  usefulness  and  indepen- 
dence. This  has  been  previously  accomplished  in 
numerous  cases.  Many  young  men  and  women 
who  have  come  to  us  at  difterent  times  from  ]N^ew 
York,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee,  Canada  and   elsewhere,  for  the 


80 

purpose  of  completing  the  course  of  their  educa- 
tion and  arming  themselves  efficiently  for  the  battle 
of  life  have  become  self-reliant  and  prosperous  in 
business,  occupying  a  respectable  place  in  the  social 
scale,  instead  of  sitting  idly  in  their  darkness  and 
eating  the  bitter  bread  of  charity. 

There  is  a  large  number  of  others,  who  are 
thirsting  for  a  systematic  education  and  eager  for 
a  thorough  professional  training;  and,  if  there  were 
a  "  students'  fund,"  the  income  of  which  could  be  an- 
nually applied  to  supplying  a  plank  for  those  who 
are  determined  to  learn  to  swim  across  the  broad 
river  of  life,  and  strike  out  for  themselves,  many  a 
meritorious  young  man  or  woman  might  be  saved 
from  sinking  into  the  depths  of  want  and  depend- 
ence. 

Enormous  sums  of  money  are  constantly  be- 
queathed for  the  higher  education  and  aesthetic 
culture  of  those  who  are  blessed  with  all  their  fac- 
ulties. May  we  hope  and  trust  that  it  may  enter 
into  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  the  stewardship 
of  wealth  to  dispose  of  a  small  portion  of  it  for 
the  benefit  of  the  blind? 

The  Blessings  oe  the  Pkinteng  Fund. 

As  has  been  repeatedly  said  in  these  reports, 
the  books  issued  by  the  "  Howe  Memorial  Press  " 
are  becoming  a  perpetual  source  of  intellectual 
light  and  happiness  to  the  blind,  gladdening  many 
a  saddened  heart,  raising  many  a  di-ooping  spirit, 


81 

and  brightening  the  life  of  many  a  suffering  person. 
The  following  account  of  a  touching  scene  at  the 
"  Colored  Women's  Home,"  written  at  the  request 
of  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot  by  one  of  the  managers  of 
that  establishment,  will  be  gratifying  to  the  friends 
and  promoters  of  the  printing  fund. 

"It  is  very  touching  to  see  the  pleasure  and  enjoyment  which 
these  books  of  raised  letters  give  to  the  blind.  A  poor  colored 
girl  who  is  still  sick  and  suffering  at  the  "  Colored  Home,"  told 
one  of  the  visitors,  with  a  smile  on  her  face,  that  the  "  Tano-le- 
wood  Tales  "  and  a  book  of  fairy  stories  bad  helped  her  for  a 
time  to  forget  all  her  pains  and  trouble.  These  were  among 
several  books  kindly  lent  her  by  the  institution,  and  her  expres- 
sion was  very  sweet,  as,  unable  to  sit  up,  she  moved  her  fingers 
slowly  across  the  page,  and  gathered  the  meaning  and  point  of 
the  story.  Afterward  she  described  the  characters  and  events 
as  clearly  and  with  as  much  exactness  as  if  she  had  read  with 
open  eyes.  She  wished  she  were  able  to  write  and  express  the 
comfort  the  books  had  given  her,  especially  during  the  long  hot 
summer  days  while  confined  to  her  bed." 

Most  of  the  inmates  of  the  Home  are  more  or 
less  illiterate,  and  we  are  told  that  they  have 
derived  much  comfort  and  pleasure  from  being 
read  to  by  their  blind  friend  and  companion  from 
her  books  in  raised  letters.' 

Conclusion. 
In  bringing  this  report  to  a  close,  I  beg  leave  to 
say,  gentlemen,  that  each  succeeding  year  that  we 
render  an  account  of  our  work  deepens  the  con- 
viction of  the  importance  and  value  of  the  school 


82 


as  an  efficient  and  powerful  agent  in  raising  the 
blind  in  the  scale  of  humanity,  and  in  opening  to 
them  avenues  of  usefulness,  industry  and  social 
equality.  That  which  ends  to-day  forms  no  excep- 
tion in  this  respect;  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me 
to  state,  that  all  my  assistants  have  faithfully  en- 
deavored, by  steadily  pursuing  the  principal  objects 
of  the  institution,  to  soften  the  sting  of  affliction, 
and  to  enable  as  many  of  our  graduates  as  possi- 
ble to  rely  upon  their  own  exertions  and  to  lead 
independent,  upright  and  happy  lives.  This  is 
truly  a  grand  imdertaking,  worthy  of  all  the  care, 
labor  and  means  expended  in  carrying  it  out. 
How  far  our  efforts  have  been  successful,  it  is  not 
for  us  to  say.  Be  this  as  it  may,  however,  our 
solemn  and  imperative  duty  is  to  press  forward 
and  onward,  so  long  as  sightless  children  call  for 
our  aid  and  sympathy. 

That  the  success  attained  heretofore  by  the  school 
may  continue  undiminished  in  the  future,  its  use- 
fulness increase  and  its  educational  light  burn  stead- 
ily and  brightly  for  the  guidance  of  those  of  our 
fellow-men  who  grope  in  unceasing  physical  dark- 
ness, is  the  humble  and  ardent  prayer  and  will  ever 
be  the  constant  and  unremitting  endeavor  of  the 
undersigned. 

Respectfully  submitted  by 

M.   ANAGNOS. 


83 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 


Among  the  pleasant  duties  incident  to  tlie  close  of  the  year  is 
that  of  expressing  our  heartfelt  thanks  and  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments to  the  following  artists,  litterateurs,  societies,  pro- 
prietors, managers,  editors  and  publishers,  for  concerts  and 
various  musical  entertainments  ;  for  operas,  oratorios,  lectures, 
readings,  and  for  an  excellent  suppl}^  of  periodicals  and  weekly 
papers,  minerals  and  specimens  of  various  kinds. 

As  I  haA^e  said  in  previous  reports,  these  favors  are  not  only 
a  source  of  pleasure  and  happiness  to  our  pupils,  but  also  a 
valuable  means  of  aesthetic  culture,  of  social  intercourse  and  of 
mental  stimulus  and  improvement.  So  far  as  we  know,  there  is 
no  community  in  the  world  which  does  half  so  much  for  the 
gratification  and  improvement  of  its  unfortunate  members  as 
that  of  Boston  does  for  our  pupils. 

7.  — Acknowledgments  for  Concerts  and  Operas  in  the  City. 

To  Mr.  Henry  Lee  Higginson  we  are  under  great  and  lasting 
obligations  for  thirty  tickets  to  the  public  rehearsals  of  his 
twenty-six  orchestral  concerts. 

To  Messrs.  Tompkins  and  Hill,  proprietors  of  the  Boston 
theatre,  for  a  generous  invitation  of  unlimited  numbers  to  three 
operas  and  two  operettas. 

To  Mr.  E.  H.  Hastings,  manager  of  the  Bijou  theatre,  for 
thirtj'-five  tickets  to  one  operetta. 

To  the  Handel  and  Haydn  society,  through  its  president 
and  secretary,  Mr.  C.  C.  Perkins  and  Mr.  A.  Parker  Browne, 
for  thirty  tickets   to   the   oratorio   of    the    Creation,  thirty-five 


84: 


tickets  to  the  Messiah,  and  admittance  to  the  rehearsals  of  five 
other  concerts. 

To  the  Bo3dston  chib,  through  its  secretar}^  Mr.  F.  H.  Rat- 
cliffe,  for  eight  tickets  to  each  of  five  concerts. 

To  the  Cecilia  society,  through  its  secretary,  Mr.  Charles  W. 
Stone,  for  four  tickets  to  each  of  five  concerts. 

To  the  Apollo  club,  through  its  secretarj^  Mr.  Arthur  Reed, 
for  six  tickets  to  each  of  six  concerts. 

To  the  Euterpe  society,  through  its  president,  Mr.  C.  C.  Per- 
kins, for  an  average  of  four  tickets  to  each  of  four  concerts. 

To  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang,  for  nine  season  tickets  to  six  piano  re- 
citals, devoted  to  Schumann  music. 

To  Mr.  Arthur  Foote,  for  ten  tickets  to  each  of  four  trio  con- 
certs. 

To  Mr.  H.  G.  Tucker,  for  ten  tickets  to  one  piano  recital. 

To  Mr.  John  A.  Preston,  for  a  pass  to  one  concert. 

To  Mr.  Ernst  Perabo,  for  a  pass  to  two  concerts. 

To  Mr.  J.  A.  Hills,  for  twelve  tickets  to  one  concert. 

To  Mr.  Frank  F.  Marshall,  for  ten  tickets  to  one  concert. 

To  Mr.  E.  W.  Tyler,  for  admission  to  two  piano  recitals  by 
Mr.  Otto  Bendix. 

To  Mr.  Henr}-^  F.  Miller,  for  admission  to  one  piano  recital  by 
Mr.  Edmund  Neupert,  to  three  piano  recitals  by  Dr.  Louis 
Maas,  and  for  admission  to  Mr.  William  H.  Sherwood's  testi- 
monial concert  and  to  several  of  his  pupils'  concerts. 

To  Messrs.  Harwood  and  Beardsle}',  for  twenty-five  tickets  to 
each  of  two  concerts. 

To  Dr.  Tourjee,  of  the  New  England  Conservatory,  for  an 
average  of  twenty  tickets  to  each  of  three  concerts. 

To  Miss  Charlotte  Hawes,  for  twenty-five  tickets  to  her  illus- 
trated musical  lecture. 

To  Miss  Henrietta  Maurer,  for  twelve  tickets  to  one  concert. 

To  Mrs.  Manley  Howe,  for  twelve  tickets  to  one  concert. 

To  Miss  Anna  Dunlap,  for  twenty-four  tickets  to  one  con- 
cert. 


85 


To  Miss  E.  M.  Stark,  for  twelve  tickets  to  the  Phillips  church 
concert. 

To  Mr.  W.  J.  Colville,  for  four  tickets   to  a    soiree  musicale. 

77.  —  Acknoioledgments  for  Concerts  given  in  our  Hall. 

For  a  series  of  recitals  and  concerts  given  from  time  to  time 
in  the  music  hall  of  the  institution,  we  are  greatly  indebted  to 
the  following  artists  :  — 

To  Mrs.  William  H.  Sherwood,  pianist,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Dr. 
Fenderson,  vocalist,  and  Mr.  J.  Dudley  Hall,  accompanist. 

To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Fenderson,  assisted  by  Miss  Simonton, 
violinist.  Miss  Dunlap,  pianist,  and  Mrs.  Flanders,  elocutionist. 

Through  the  kinduess  of  Mr.  R.  M.  Chase,  to  Prof.  Shortis 
for  a  delightful  concert  on  the  banjo. 

To  Mr.  Louis  K.  Stark,  assisted  by  Mrs.  J.  Arthur  Jacobs, 
pianist,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Buckingham,  vocalist,  Miss  Nellie  B.  Cal- 
lender,  vocalist,  and  Miss  Abby  Holbrook,  elocutionist. 

To  Mr.  Albert  Meyers,  assisted  by  Miss  Annie  C.  Wester- 
velt,  soprano.  Miss  Theresa  Flynn,  alto,  Mrs.  Anna  Mayhew 
Simonds,  pianist,  Mr.  E.  P.  Murphy,  elocutionist,  and  Mr. 
J.  G.  Lennon,  organist  and  pianist. 

777.  —  Acknowledgments  for  Lectures  and  Readings. 

For  various  lectures,  addresses  and  readings,  our  thanks  are 
due  to  the  following  friends :  Dr.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Mrs. 
Julia  Ward  Howe,  Rev.  James  Reed,  Rev.  William  P.  Tilden, 
Miss  Adela  Rankin  and  the  late  Mr.  Charles  L.  Heywood. 

IV.  —  AcTcnowledgments  for  Birds,  Musical  Instruments,  etc. 

To  Mr.  Andrew  H.  Newell,  of  Boston,  for  a  fine  collection  of 
sixty  birds  from  Australia,  and  the  skin  of  a  small  kangaroo. 

To  Mr.  P.  C.  Brooks,  for  a  mechanical  French  pianoforte, 
and  to  Mr.  Alfred  A.  Marcus,  for  several  smaller  musical  in- 
struments. 


86 


To  Mr.  Francis  Brooks  for  a  fine  ebony  and  velvet  case  for  the 
medals  belonging  to  the  institution. 

For  various  specimens,  curiosities,  etc.,  we  are  indebted  to 
the  following  friends :  Mrs.  W.  C.  Wendte,  Capt.  Perry,  Mr. 
Richard  Sullivan,  Mr.  C.  H.  Dillaway,  Miss  E.  B.  Webster  and 
Miss  Fannie  E.  Webster. 

V.  —  Acknowledgments  for  Periodicals  and  Newspapers. 

The  editors  and  publishers  of  the  following  reviews,  maga- 
zines and  semi-monthly  and  weekly  papers,  continue  to  be  very 
kind  and  liberal  in  sending  us  their  publications  gratuitously, 
which  are  always  cordially  welcomed,  and  perused  with 
interest : — 


The  N.  E.  Journal  of  Education, 

The  Atlantic, 

Wide  Awake, 

Boston  Home  Journal, 

Youth's  Companion,    . 

The  Christian,     . 

The  Christian  Register, 

The  Musical  Record, 

The  Musical  Herald, 

The  Folio, 

Littell's  Living  Age, 

Unitarian  Review, 

The  Watchman, 

The  Golden  Rule, 

Zion's  Herald,     . 

The  Missionar}^  Herald, 

The  Salem  Register, 

The  Century, 

St.  Nicholas, 

The  Christian  Union 

The  Journal  of  Speculative  Philosophy, 


Boston,  Mass. 


Salem,  3fass. 
New  York,  N.  T. 


87 


Church's  Musical  Journal,  ,  .  .  Cincinnati,  0. 
Goodson  Gazette,  Va.  Inst,  for  Deaf-Mutes  and  Blind. 
Tablet,      .         .     West  Va.  ''  "  " 

Deaf-Mute  Index,  Colorado,  "  "  "         " 

Companion,  .  Minnesota  Institute  for  Deaf-Mutes. 
II  Mentore  del  Ciechi,         .         .  Florence,  Italy. 

I  desire  again  to  render  the  most  hearty  thanks,  in  behalf  of 
all  our  pupils,  to  the  kind  friends  wlio  have  thus  nobly  remem- 
bered them.  The  seeds  which  their  friendly  and  generous  atten- 
tions have  sown  have  fallen  on  no  barren  ground,  but  will  con- 
tinue to  bear  fruit  in  after  years  ;  and  the  memory  of  many  of 
these  delightful  and  instructive  occasions  and  valuable  gifts  will 
be  retained  through  life. 

M.  ANAGNOS. 


88 


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91 


ANALYSIS   OF  EXPENDITURES 


For  the  Year  ending  Sept.  30,  1883. 


Maintenance,  Salaries,  Superintendence, 

Meat,  24,861  lbs.,    . 

Fish,  4,501  lbs.,      . 

Butter,  5,208  lbs.,   . 

Rice,  sago,  etc.,  593  lbs., 

Bread,  flour,  and  meal,  . 

Potatoes  and  other  vegetables. 

Fruit,      .... 

Milk,  23,336  qts.,    . 

Sugar,  6,971  lbs.,    . 

Tea  and  coffee,  520  lbs., 

Groceries, 

Gas  and  oil,    . 

Coal  and  wood. 

Sundry  articles  of  consumption, 

Salaries,  superintendence,  and  instruction, 

Wages,   .... 

Outside  aid,    . 

Medicines  and  medical  aid. 

Furniture  and  bedding. 

Clothing  and  mending. 

Musical  instruments, 

Expenses  of  stable. 

Books,  stationery,  and  apparatus. 

Ordinary  construction  and  repairs, 

Water  taxes  and  insurance,   . 

Travelling  expenses. 

Sundries,         .... 


ze,  and  Instruction. 

$2,833 

25 

230 

95 

1,645 

65 

56 

72 

1,384 

59 

797  34 

352  48 

1,414 

10 

624 

38 

176 

28 

829 

77 

459  86 

2,930 

43 

332  40 

16,218 

99 

4,255 

27 

255  71 

20  09 

1,221 

78 

9 

09 

284 

76 

173 

56 

1,534  67 

1,436 

38 

336 

00 

78 

98 

104 

84 

—  $39,998  32 

92 


Amount  brought  forward, 


$39,998  32 


Extraordinary  Expenses 

Extraordinary  construction  and  repairs, 
Rent  of  office  in  Avon  Street, 
Expenses  of  tuning  department, 

"         "    boys'  shop. 
Bills  to  be  refunded. 
Beneficiaries  of  the  Harris  Fund, 
Board  of  beneficiary. 
Bills  of  work  department, 


spairs. 

$3,461  76 

250  00 

*775  94 

84  85 

138  69 

855  00 

87  13 

tl6,876  68 

22,530  05 

$62,528  37 

*  Note.  —  The  receipts  from  tuning,  amounting  to  $1,724.00,  have  been  paid  hy  the 
director  to  the  treasurer.    They  show  a  balance  in  favor  of  this  department  of  $948.03. 

t  The  earnings  of  the  shop,  amounting  to  $15,390.91,  were  in  like  manner  paid  by  the 
director  to  the  treasurer.  After  deducting  increased  value  of  stock  on  hand,  $929.50, 
there  is  a  balance  against  the  workshop  amounting  to  $556.27. 


EXPENSES   OF  PRINTING   DEPARTMENT. 


Labor,     . 

Stock,      . 

Machinery, 

Type,      .         . 

Electrotyping, 

Binding, 

Sundries, 


$1,434  38 

1,289 

60 

276 

76 

39 

76 

570 

82 

703 

60 

18 

94 

$4,333  86 


93 


GENERAL   ABSTRACT 

Of  Account  of  the  Work  Department,  Oct.   1,   1883. 


Due  to  the  institution  for  investments  since 

the  first  date, 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts,  . 


Assets. 
Stock  on  hand  Oct.  1,  1883,  . 
Debts  due  Oct.  1,  1883, . 


$44,725 

07 

1,485 

77 

~ 

$46, 

,210 

84 

$5,192 

64 

2,083 

97 

— 

7, 

276 

51 

5,934  33 


Balance  against  the  work  department  Oct.  1, 

1883, $38,934  33 

Balance  against  the  vpork  department  Oct.  1, 

1882, 38,378  06 


Cost  of  carrying  on  the  vrork  department  for 

the  year  ending  Sept.  30,  1883, $556  27 


Cash  received  for  sales  during  the  year,  $15,390  91 

Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts,  .        .        1,485  77 


Salaries  and  vpages  paid  blind  people,  .      $3,579  34 

"        paid  to  seeing  people,       .        .         .        2,360  04 

Sundries  for  stock,  etc.,  ....      10,937  30 


$16,876  68 


$16,876  68 


94 


INVENTORY   OF   STOCK 


Oct.  1,  1883. 


Real  estate,  South  Boston,     . 
"  "11  Oxford  street. 

Railroad  stock,    "  . 
Notes,     . 

Cash  in  treasury,    . 
Less  due  Director, 

Harris  Fund,  . 
Printing  Fund, 
Kindergarten  Fund, 
Household  furniture, 
Provisious  and  supplies. 
Wood  and  coal, 
Work  department,  stock, 
"  "  debts  due. 

Musical  department,  viz.,  — 
One  large  organ, 
Four  small  organs,     . 
Forty-five  pianos, 
Brass  and  reed  instruments. 
Violins, 
Musical  library, . 

Amount  carried  forward, 


$250,000  00 

5,500  00 

$255,500  00 

11,000  00 

59,600  00 

$2,748  08 

1,120  61 

1,627  47 
83,000  00 

108,500  00 

2,900  00 

16,320  00 

895  06 

3,288  80 

$5,192  54 

2,083  97 

7,276  51 

$5,000  00 

450  00 

10,450  00 

900  00 

35  00 

600  00 



17,435  00 

$567,342  84 

95 


Amount  hroxight  forward. 
Printing  department,  viz.. 
Stock  and  machinery, 
Books  and  maps, 
Stereotype  plates, 

School  fui'niture  and  apparatus, 

Library  books  in  common  type, 

"  "      in  raised  type. 

Boys'  shop,     .... 
Stable  and  tools,    . 


$567,342  84 

$1,800  GO 

8,291  45 

4,470  82 

14,562  27 

7,700  00 

$2,900  00 

6,500  00 

9,400  00 
100  70 

1,066  17 

$600,171  98 

96 


LIST   OF   EMBOSSED   BOOKS, 

Printed  al  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


TITLE  OF  BOOK. 


£  > 


Howe's  Cyclopaedia, 

Baxter's  Call, 

Book  of  Proverbs, 

Book  of  Psalms,    . 

New  Testament,    . 

Book  of  Common  Prayer, 

Hymns  for  the  Blind,    . 

Pilgrim's  Progress, 

Life  of  Melanchthon,    . 

Natural  Theology, 

Combe's  Constitution  of  Man, 

Selections  from  the  Works  of  Swedenborg, 

Second  Table  of  l^ogarithms. 

Philosophy  of  Natural  History,    . 

Huxley's  Science  Primers,  Introductory, 

Memoir  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe, 

Cutter's  Anatomy,  Physiology  and  Hygiene, 

Viri  Romte,  new  edition  with  additions, 

Musical  Chai-acters  used  by  the  seeing. 

Key  to  Braille's  Musical  Notation, 

Guyot's  Geography,      .... 

Scribner's  Geogi-aphical  Reader, 

Dickens's  Child's  History  of  England, 

Anderson's  History  of  the  United  States, 

Higgin son's  Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States, 

Schmitz's  History  of  Greece, 

Schmitz's  History  of  Rome, 

Freeman's  History  of  Europe, 

An  Account  of  the  Most  Celebrated  Diamonds, 

Extracts  from  British  and  American  Literature, 

American  Prose,   .... 

Hawthorne's  Tanglewood  Tales, 

Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop, 

Dickens's  Christmas  Carol,  with  extracts  from  Pickwick, 

Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  . 

George  Eliot's  Silas  Marner, 

Biographical  Sketch  of  George  Eliot, 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost, 


$4  00 
60 
00 
00 
50 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
00 


3  00 
3  00 

2  00 

3  00 

3  00 
2  00 

35 
35 

4  00 

2  50 

3  00 

2  50 

3  50 
3  00 
2  50 

2  50 
50 

3  00 
3  00 


00 
00 
00 
00 
50 
25 
00 


97 


List  of  Embossed  Books  —  Continued. 


TITLE  OF  BOOK. 


Pope's  Essay  on  Man  and  other  Poems, 
Shakespeare's  Hamlet  and  Julius  Ciesar,     . 
Scott's  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel  and  37  other  Poems 
Byron's  Hebrew  Melodies  and  Childe  Harold,    . 
Tennyson's  In  Memoriam  and  other  Poems, . 

Longfellow's  Evangeline, 

Longfellow's  Evangeline  and  other  Poems, 
Whittier's  Poems,  .... 

Lowell's  Poems, 

Bryant's  Poems,    ..... 
Longfellow's  Birthday,  by  J.  R.  Anagnos, 
Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
Biographical  Sketches  of  Distinguished  Persons, 
Commemoration  Ode,  by  H.  VV.  Stratton,    . 

JUVENILE  BOOKS. 

Script  and  point  alphabet  sheets  per  hundred, 

An  Eclectic  Primer, 

Child's  First  Book, 

Child's  Second  Book, 

Child's  Third  Book, 

Child's  Fourth  Book,     . 

Child's  Fifth  Book, 

Child's  Sixth  Book, 

Child's  Seventh  Book,  . 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  1st, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  2d, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  3d, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  4th, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  5th, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  6th, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  7th, 

Youth's  Library,  vol.  8th, 

Childien's  Fairy  Book,  by  M.  Anagnos, 

Andersen's  Stories  and  Tales, 

Eliot's  Six  Arabian  Nights,  . 

Lodge's  Twelve  Popular  Tales, 

Bible  Stories  in  Bible  language,  by  Emilie  Poulsson, 


50 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

3  00 

3  00 

3  00 

3  00 

25 

40 

3  00 

10 


00 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
25 
50 
00 
00 
00 
50 


set. 


N.  B.     The  prices  in  the  above  list  are  set  down  per  volume,  not  per 


98 


LIST  OF  APPLIANCES  AND  TANGIBLE  APPARATUS, 

Made  at  the  Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind. 


Geography. 

I.  —  Wall-Ma2)s 

1.  The  Hemispheres, 

2.  United  States,  Mexico  and  Canada, 

3.  North  America, 

4.  South  America, 
6.  Europe, 

6.  Asia,    . 

7.  Africa, 

8.  The  World  on  Mercator's  Projection, 

Each  $35,  or  the  set. 


size,  42  by  52  inches. 


II.  —  Dissected  Maps. 


1.  Eastern  Hemisphere, 

2.  Western  Hemisphere 

3.  North  America, 

4.  United  States, 

5.  South  America, 

6.  Europe, 

7.  Asia,  . 

8.  Africa, 


size,  30  by  36  inches. 


Each  $23,  or  the  set,  $184 


These  maps  are  considered,  in  point  of  workmanship,  accuracy  and 
distinctness  of  outline,  durability  and  beauty,  far  superior  to  all  thus  far 
made  in  Europe  or  in  this  country. 


99 


"The  New  England  Journal  of  Education  "  says,  "They  are  very 
strong,  present  a  fine,  bright  surface,  and  are  an  ornament  to  any  school- 
room." 

III.  —  Pin-Maps. 

Cushions  for  pin-maps  and  diagrams,   .... 


each,  $0  75 


Arithmetic 


Ciphering-boards  made  of  brass  strips,  nickel-plated, 
Ciphering-types,  nickel-plated,  per  hundred. 


each, $4  25 
1  00 


Writikg. 

Grooved  writing-cards,  . 
Braille  tablets.  Math  metallic  bed, 
Braille  French  tablets,  with  cloth  bed. 
Braille  new  tablets,  with  cloth  bed, 
Braille  Daisy  tablets. 


.     each, 

$0 

1 
1 

10 
50 
00 

*' 

1 

5 

00 
00 

100 


TERMS   OF  ADMISSIOJS^. 


"  Candidates  for  admission  must  be  over  nine  and  under  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  none  others  shall  be  admitted."  —  Extract  from  the 
by-laws. 

Blind  children  und  youth  between  the  ages  above  pre- 
scribed and  of  sound  mind  and  good  moral  character,  can 
be.  admitted  to  the  school  by  paying  $300  per  annum. 
Those  among  them  who  belong  to  the  state  of  Massachu- 
setts and  whose  parents  or  guardians  are  not  able  to  pay 
the  whole  or  a  portion  of  this  sum,  can  be  admitted 
gratuitously  by  application  to  the  governor  for  a  warrant. 

The  following  is  a  good  form,  though  any  other  will 
do:  — 

"  To  His  Excellency  the  Governor. 

"  Sir,  —  My  son  (or  daughter,  or  nephew,  or  niece,  as  the  case  may 

be),  named ,  and  aged ,  cannot  be  instructed  in  the  common 

schools,  for  want  of  sight.     I  am  unable  to  pay  for  the  tuition  at  the 
Perkins  Institution  and  Massachusetts  School  for  the  Blind,  and    I 
request  that  your  Excellency  will  give  a  waiTant  for  free  admission. 
Very  respectfully, ." 

The  application  may  be  made  by  any  relation  or  friend, 
if  the  parents  are  dead  or  absent. 

It  should  be  accompanied  by  a  certificate,  signed  by 
some  regular  physician,  in  this  form  :  — 

"  I  certify,  that,  in  my  opinion, has  not  sutficient  vision  to 

be  taught  in  common  schools ;  and  that  he  is  free  from  epilepsy,  and 
from  any  contagious  disease. 

(Signed) ." 


101 


These  papers  should  be  done  up  together,  and  forwarded 
to  the  Director  of  the  Institution  for  the  Blind, 
South  Boston,  Mass. 

Blind  children  and  youth  residing  in  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  Vermont,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  by 
applying  as  above  to  the  governor,  oi*  the  "  Secretary  of 
State,"  in  their  respective  states,  can  obtain  warrants  for 
free  admission. 

The  sum  of  $300  above  specified  covers  all  expenses 
(except  for  clothing),  namely,  board,  lodging,  washing, 
tuition,  and  the  use  of  books  and  musical  instruments. 
The  pupils  must  furnish  their  own  clothing,  and  pay  their 
own  fares  to  and  from  the  institution. 

An  obligation  will  be  required  from  some  responsible 
persons,  that  the  pupil  shall  be  kept  properly  supplied 
with  decent  clothing,  shall  be  provided  for  during  vaca- 
tions, and  shall  be  removed,  without  expense  to  the  insti- 
tution, whenever  it  may  be  desirable  to  discharge  him. 

The  usual  period  of  tuition  is  from  five  to  seven  years. 

The  friends  of  the  pupils  can  visit  them  whenever  they 
choose. 

The  use  of  tobacco,  either  in  smoking  or  otherwise,  is 
strictly  prohibited  in  the  institution. 

Persons  applying  for  admission  of  children  must  fill  out 
certain  blanks,  copies  of  which  will  be  forwarded  to  any 
address  on  application. 

For  further  information  address  M.  Anagnos,  Director, 
Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  South  Boston^ 
Mass. 


102 


comme:n^cement  exeecises 


PERKINS    INSTITUTION    AND    MASSACHUSETTS    SCHOOL 
FOR    THE    BLIND, 

Held  at  Tremont  Temple,  on  Tuesday,  June  5,  1883,  at  3  P.M. 
S.uitJEL  Eliot,  LL.D.,  Presiding. 


PROGRAMME.     Part  I. 

1.  ORGAN   SELECTIONS. 

Miss  Freda  Black  and  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Hammond. 

2.  BAND,  —  Potpourri, arr.  by  Heinicke, 

3.  ESSAY,  —  "  Our  Library." 

Miss  Julia  E.  Burnham. 

4.  EXERCISE   IN   CHEMISTRY. 

Benjamin  F.  Parker. 

5.  SOLO  FOR  ALTO  HORN,  — "  Morceau  ;  „-  p„,-„„„^^ 

de  Salon,    Variations,  ^  ^ 

Christopher  A.  Rowland. 

6.  ESSAY, —  "The  Steam-Engine,"  (illustrated). 

William  P.  Garrison. 

'^'     ^^oS^^^'^^ '  ~~  "  ^^^^^^^     }  ^^usic  by  Miss  Mary  Mc  Caffrey. 

Misses  Mabel  Brown,  Lenna  D.  Swinerton,  Mary 
McCaffrey,  and  Emma  Patterson. 

8.     ESSAY,  —  "  The  Practice  of  Massage,  a  Possibility  for  the  Blind." 
Miss  Jenny  M.  Colby. 


103 


Part  II. 

1.  MILITARY   DRILL  AND    GYMNASTICS. 

2.  PIANO  DUET,  —  Scherzo  from  7th  Symphony,   .        .    Beethoven, 

Miss  Mary  McCaffrey  and  Miss  Sarah  A.  Hamson. 

3.  READING   WITH  THE  FINGERS, —Exercise  in  Geography. 

A  Class  of  Boys. 


4.  KINDERGARTEN   EXERCISES. 

5.  DUET,  — "The  Fisherman," 

Messrs.  Wm.  B.  Hammond  and  L.  Titus. 

6.  VALEDICTORY. 

Miss  Lenna  D.  Swinerton. 

7.  CHORUS  FOR  FEMALE  VOICES,  —  "  Oh  haste,  \ 

Crimson  Morning,"  j 

8.  AWARD    OF   DIPLOMAS, 

By  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot. 

9.  CHORUS,  —  "  Where  in  Rocky  Inlets,"  from  \ 

the  Tower  of  Babel,  j       * 


V.  Gabussi. 


Donizetti. 


Bubenstein. 


NAMES   OF   GRADUATES. 


Julia  E.  Burnham. 
Jenny  M.  Colby. 
William  P.  Garrison. 


Mary  McCaffrey. 
Benjamin  F.  Parker. 
Lenna  D.  Swinerton. 


APPENDIX. 


The  Blind  Children's  Kindergarten. 


EMILIE  POULSSON. 


Reprinted  from  the  October  number  of  the  Wide  Awake  by  kind  permission  of 
Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.,"  publishers  of  the  magazine. 


THE  BLIND  CHILDREN'S  KINDERGARTEN. 


BY  EMILIE  POUT-SSON. 


Do  you  remember  the  article  about  the  Perkins  Insti- 
tution for  the  Blind,  in  the  "Wide  Awake  "  for  March, 
1878,  —  that  noble  supplementary  public  school  for  those 
brothers  and  sisters  of  yours  over  whose  eyes  a  heavy 
hand  has  been  mysteriously  laid  ?  Since  that  account  was 
written,  a  kindergarten  experiment  has  been  tried,  and 
it  promises  to  be  the  best  "  happy  thought"  yet  for  the 
benefit  of  blind  children.  It  really  seems  that  knowledge 
and  usefulness  and  self-reliance  were  to  be  reached  by  a 
bliud  pe^'son  some  years  sooner  by  way  of  the  kinder- 
garten than  by  any  of  the  slow,  slow  progresses  over  the 
long,  long  roads  of  other  years. 

To  be  sure  object-teaching  had  been  used  in  the  school. 
The  botany  class  had  its  vegetable  garden  ;  there  had 
been  weighing  and  measuring,  buying  and  selling,  in  the 
arithmetic  classes ;  the  physiology  class  had  fine  ana- 
tomical models ;  and  there  were  stuffed  birds  and  other 
animals  for  the  student  in  natural  history,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  orders  given  to  the  wondering  Peter  for  lobsters, 
clams,  heart  and  lungs  of  an  ox,  the  bones  of  fowls,  and 
many  like  objects. 

Seeing  that  what  was  touched  was  comprehended  far 
more  completely  and  quickly  than  what  was  described  by 


108 


voice,  Mr.  Anagiios,  after  much  careful  study  of  the  kinder- 
garten, resolved  to  introduce  it  into  the  school ;  resolved 
to  teach  great  boys  and  girls  just  as  baby-folks  are 
taught;  resolved,  if  he  succeeded  as  he  expected,  to  give 
the  world  no  peace  until  a  great,  noble  kindergarten 
should  be  built  and  endowed  that  would  take  in  all  the 
blind  baby-folks  at  the  outset,  just  as  soon  as  they  came 
to  true  kindergarten  age,  so  that  they  might  begin  to 
learn  at  the  time  of  life  when  other  children  begin. 

He  started  with  two  classes  ;  one  in  the  boys'  school, 
and  one  in  the  girls'.  Both  classes  are  composed  mostly 
of  the  pupils  of  the  lowest  grade.  But  he  also  brings  in 
for  a  time  those  in  the  higher  classes  who  are  conspicu- 
ously lacking  in  dexterity,  or  whose  conceptions  of  form 
are  unusually  vague  and  confused. 

The  idea  that  a  blind  person  is  ever  without  a  marvel- 
ously  delicate  touch  will  be  new  to  many  people  ;  but 
the  truth  is,  that  the  sensitive  touch,  instead  of  being  a 
compensatory  gift,  has  been  the  result  of  harder  work  than 
you  or  I  know  anything  about  —  the  most  patient,  long- 
continued  effort  to  see  and  think  and  imagine  and  remem- 
ber with  the  fingers. 

Mr.  Anagnos  finds  kindersjarten  work  to  be  his  most 
valuable  means  in  the  cultivation  of  this  sensitiveness  of 
the  fingers,  and  he  would  esteem  it  indispensable  in  the 
institution  for  this  result  alone.  But  beside  this,  there 
seems  no  way  so  effective  of  affording  a  systematic  study 
of  form  —  it  is  the  true  A  B  C  in  the  education  of  the  blind. 

The  geometrical  training  which  any  child  gets  in  the 
kindergarten  helps  the  blind  wonderfully  to  definitely 
imagine  objects  which  they  cannot  handle. 

The  little  girls  who    have    taken    up   geography  after 


109 


their  kindergarten  training  are  far  readier  in  their  map- 
work  than  previous  classes.  They  are  very  quick  to  notice 
peculiarities  in  the  shape  of  the  states  and  countries,  and 
they  listen  to  descriptions  most  understandingly. 

"  Heading  by  touch,"  too,  is  far  easier  to  the  fingers 
which  have  been  tiained  in  tracing  the  embroidered  pat- 
terns on  the  sewing-cards,  weaving  the  delicate  papers 
and  modelling  in  clay.  The  work  of  square  handwriting 
is  taken  up  with  great  delight 
n  L  ^  J  P  \  n  ^"^'  courage  by  pupils  who  already 
J  know  lines  and  angles  well  through 
THE  "A  Bc"  OF  THE  BLIND.  ^\^q  stick-hiyiug  ftud  scwlug.  The 
Braille  point  writing  (a  system  of  raised  dots,  and  used 
because  it  can  be  read  by  touch)  and  the  written  arith- 
metic of  the  blind,  which  is  done  with  type  placed  in 
different  positions  to  represent  the  different  figures,  both 
require  the  clearness  coucerning  "  upper  right,"  "  lower 
right,"  "upper  left"  and  "lower  left,"  which  is  con- 
stantly cultivated  by  the  kindergarten  work  with  cubes, 
planes  and  sticks.  The  teacher  of  the  girls'  work  school, 
under  whom  the  girls  learn  hand-sewing,  machine-sew- 
ing, knitting,  crochetting,  hammock-making,  and  cane- 
seating,  speaks  heartily  in  praise  of  kindergarten  as  a 
preparatory  training.  So  it  is  in  music ;  the  awakened 
mind  and  flexile  hand,  with  muscles  already  trained  in 
the  kindergarten  to  obey,  tell  at  once  in  the  progress  of 
the  pupil. 

The  youngest  children  in  these  two  classes  are  ten 
years  of  age  ;  the  majority  older.  But  they  are  found  to 
need  the  same  development  and  the  same  simple  lesson 
as  ordinary  children  from  three  to  six  years  of  age ;  not 
because  of  any  natural  mental  lack,  but  because  the  aim- 


no 


less,  neglected  lives  they  have  led  before  coming  to  the 
institution  have  kept  them  dull  and  unawake.  The  little 
blind  child,  following  its  natural  instinct  of  play,  gets 
hurt  so  often  that  it  soon  feels  it  safest  to  curl  up  in 
a  corner  and  keep  still.  If  it  try  to  play  games  with 
active,  seeing  children,  it  finds  itself  in  the  way  ;  and 
in  the  way  still  when  there  is  work  to  do  —  it  is  naturally 
shoved  to  one  side  ;  play,  work,  conversation  pass  it  by 
—  growth  stops  or  goes  on  slowly  and  weakly. 

By  and  by,  perhaps,  some  one  takes  the  necessary 
steps  and  sends  the  big  girl  or  boy  to  the  school  for 
the  blind.  And  until  the  establishment  of  these  classes, 
there  has  been  no  kindergarten  into  which  to  receive 
this  big,  clumsy  infant.  One  girl  said  to  me,  piteously, 
*'  When  1  was  at  home,  my  stepmother  used  always  to  be 
a-scolding  to  me  and  my  father,  about  my  being  blind  and 
not  being  able  to  work  in  the  factory  like  the  others,  and 
I  not  doing  the  housework  either.  But  nobody  showed 
me  how  to  do  anything  till  I  came  here.  How  could  I  do 
things?  "  The  same  girl  has  since  written  to  an  aunt  who, 
she  says,  was  always  "  feeling  bad"  because  of  her  blind- 
ness :  "  I  don't  mind  it  now  being  blind,  because  I  can  go 
all  around,  and  I  can  sew  and  wash  dishes  and  have  my 
lessons,  and  do  just  like  other  people." 

But  it  is  not  always  unkinduess  which  leaves  the  poor 
things  so  untrained.  Some  suffer  from  the  unwise  ten- 
derness which  has  led  their  friends  to  wait  upon  them 
always.  A  girl  of  twenty,  who  came  to  the  institution, 
could  scarcely  pin  her  collars,  and  preferred  to  have  some 
one  put  her  gloves  and  shawl  on  for  her.  The  kinder- 
garten has  done  much  for  her  already  in  giving  her  hands 
their  normal  handiness. 


Ill 


*'  What  did  you  do  at  home,  Sarah?"  I  asked  another 
girl  oue  day. 

"  Look  at  me,"  she  replied  ;  "do  you  see  the  way  I 
am  sitting?"  She  had  her  hands  folded  in  her  lap,  her 
whole  attitude  as  listless  as  possible.  "  That  is  what  I 
used  to  do  all  day  long." 

Such  are  many  of  the  girls  in  our  kindergarten  ;  grown- 
up, but  as  little  children  in  their  use  of  both  muscle  and 
mind  :  others  have  been  more  fortunate  in  home  circum- 
stances and  training,  and  many  are  winsome,  and  dear, 
and  interesting ;  but  all  need  either  the  mental  or  manual 
drill,  or  both,  of  the  kindergarten,  before  going  into  the 
usual  classes. 

Let  me  tell  you  how  we  train  these  great,  piteous 
children  : 

Monday  is  sewing-day  —  they  scarcely  have  any  other 
names  for  days  than  "  clay-day,"  "  weaving-day,"  "  cush- 
ion-day," etc.  ;  —  not  for  hemming,  over-handing,  basting 
and  stitching ;  these  come  in  the  afternoon  work  school ; 
but  the  embroidering  of  white  cards  with  worsteds  in  pat- 
terns. The  cards  being  pricked,  the  girls  can  feel  the 
holes  easily  for  working,  and  by  tracing  the  worsted  lines 
when  completed  they  "  see  just  how  it  looks."  They 
observe  with  their  fingers  and  their  imao-inations. 

Among  the  outlines,  that  of  a  house  is  a  favorite  with 
both  teacher  and  pupils.  It  brings  up  enough  interesting 
information  to  keep  them  listening  and  questioning  for  a 
long  time.  Seeing  people  do  not  realize  that  a  blind  per- 
son may  not  know  the  shape  of  a  house  roof,  the  color  of 
a  chimney,  and  hundreds  of  other  every-day  things  be- 
yond the  reach  of  investigating  fingers ;  so  the  suggest- 
iveness  of  the  sewing  cards  is  a  valuable  help  in  leading 


112 


these    pupils    to    a    correct    knowledge    of    things    about 
them. 

Tuesday  is  "  cushion-day."  The  girls  come  to  the 
pleasant  east  room,  where  there  are  plants  and  sunshine 
enough  to  satisfy  any  kinder 
gartener,  and  a  knowing  little 
canary  besides,  and  gather 
around  the  horseshoe 
table. 


On  it  are  red  and  grey  cushions,  each  with  a  plentiful 
supply  of  tiny  doll-hairpins  in  the  upper  right-hand  cor- 
ner. When  stick-laying  is  the  work,  the  girls  soon  have 
on  their  cushions  a  fine  array  of  lines,  squares,  triangles, 


113 


ladders,  chairs,  and  here  and  there  a  bird-house  or  other 
fancy  figure.  They  fasten  the  sticks  down  carefully  at 
each  end  with  a  hairpin,  and  thus  have  the  same  satisfac- 
tion as  in  card-sewing  —  that  of  examining  their  work 
themselves.  Their  imagination  seems  to  awake.  One 
worker  sees  four  tall  soldiers  marching  in  a  row,  where  you 


ON    CUSHIOX    DAY. 


notice  only  four  vertical  lines.  After  the  soldiers  were 
mentioned,  some  one  suggested  they  ought  to  have  tents. 
These  they  were  sure  they  could  make,  as  they  had  had 
a  little  descriptive  talk  about  tents  only  a  few  days  before  ; 
so  they  went  to  work. 

Most  of  the  class  considered  a  triangle  a  satisfactory 
representation,  and  soon  pronounced  the  tents  ready. 

Mary  was  busy  longer  with  hers.  She  had  made  a 
square  for  the  floor,  and  then  put  a  pole  up  from  each 
corner,  letting  the  four  meet,  thus  forming  the  framework 
of  as  cunning  a  little  tent  as  you  could  imagine. 


114 


Belle  had  a  flag  on  hers,  the  sticks  that  outlined  it  slant- 
ing enough  to  give  it  a  graceful  droop.  Abbie,  too,  had 
a  flag,  but  not  having  thought  to  make  it  droop,  ex- 
plained its  extremely  stiff  appearance  by  saying  that 
there  was  a  "  strong  wind  blowing  from  the  north- 
west." Another  put  a  sentry  by  the  tent,  and  another 
gave  her  soldiers  guns,  and  so  they  kept  on  till  the  bell 
struck. 

The  cushions  are  also  used  for  the  work  with  tablets. 
These  are  inch  squares  of  wood,  red  on  one  side,  white 
on  the  other ;  and  for  blind  children's  use  they  have  holes 
drilled  in  them,  so  that  they  may  be  fastened  on  the  cush- 
ion with  a  pin,  and  also  a  tiny  notch  on  the  edge  of  the 
red  side  so  that  they  may  know  what  color  they  have 
uppermost.  They  delight  to  make  red  and  white  patch- 
work in  this  way. 

They  also  have  triangular  pieces  drilled  and  notched 
in  the  same  way.  Their  first  work  with  these  is  to  com- 
bine them  into  squares.  This  was  easy  for  most  of 
them,  but  one  girl  exclaimed,  after  painstaking  efforts, 
"  Well,  I  seem  to  have  made  a  very  sad  square  some- 
how !  " 

It  was  indeed  a  funny-looking  irregular  figure  with 
several  sides  and  corners  pointing  in  every  direction.  A 
little  talk  about  the  sides  and  corners  of  a  true  square 
showed  Minnie  what  caused  the  "  sadness,"  and  she  soon 
showed  us  a  very  cheerful  square  indeed,  with  a  corre- 
spondingly cheerful  look  on  her  face.  This  is  valuable 
training  for  the  work  schools  in  which  they  learn  trades 
for  future  support. 

"Weaving  with  colored  papers  is  the  Wednesday  work, 
and  I  think  it  ranks    next  the    clay  in    their    affections. 


115 


You  can  get  a  little  idea  of  how  bewildering  it  is  to  do 
this  weaving  if  you  should  try  it  some  time  in  the  dark  — 
trusting  only  to  your  linger  tips.  Under  and  over,  under 
and  over,  patiently  and  carefully,  the  big  blind  pupils 
work.  Wee  Katie  calls  her  papers  men  walking  under 
and  over  the  bridges  ;  and  another  says,  "  They  are  men 
who  do  not  know  the  way,  and  we  have  to  lead  them 
aright."  This  work,  like  the  card  sewing  and  the  little 
tablets,  brings  out  the  girls'  delight  in  colors.  It  seems 
strange  that  they  should  like  so  much  what  they  can  have 
no  conception  of. 


SOME    OF    THEIR    HANDIWORK. 


They  have  decided  preferences  in  color,  and  the  choos- 
ing of  a  new  paper  mat  and  the  color  of  the  strands  to 
weave  in  it,  is  a  work  of  just  as  much  interest  to  them 
as  to  seeing  children  ;  and  the  guidance  which  their  taste 
receives  in  this  way,  the  lessons  in  combinations,  and  the 
little  talks  about  the  appropriateness  of  certain  colors  to 
certain  articles  and  uses  must  help  them  to  a  somewhat 
clearer  appreciation  of  the  beauty  and  effectiveness  of 
color. 

Of  all  the  occupations  the  paper  weaving  bears  the  most 
direct  relation  to  future  handiwork.  For  besides  the 
sewing  and  ordinary  "  womanly  work,"  many  of  the  girls 


116 


learn  cane-seating  and  basket-making,  and  in  both,  the 
skill  required  in  weaving  will  be  of  great  service. 

On  Thursday  they  have  cubes.  The  little  boxes  con- 
taining eight  tiny  cubes  look  rather  insignificant ;  but 
wait  till  you  have  seen  the  fun  that    can    be    had    with 


"  AS    A    LITTLE    CHILD." 


them,  and  the  variety  of  things  made  with  them.  The 
class  work  together  for  a  while,  following  the  teacher's 
directions,  and  succeed  fairly,  though  this  is  their  hard- 
est work.  All  is  so  easily  demolished  by  a  touch  in  the 
wrong  place  —  and  that  cannot  always  be  avoided,  as  they 
must  "see"  the  forms  with  their  finsrers.  In  their  first 
days  with  cubes,  when  they  were  constructing  the  sim- 


117 


plest  forms,  they  made  a  line  of  the  eight,  and  called  it  a 
"  procession,"  and  I  remember  how  one  girl  had  displaced 
hers  quite  badly,  having  a  very  loose,  crooked  line  indeed, 
and  I  was  about  to  criticize  it,  when  she  said,  "  Mine  is 
a  democratic  procession,  and  the  men  are  going  to  fall 
out  and  go  home."  As  it  was  the  morning  after  the  Gar- 
field election,  this  was  certainly  not  a  clumsy  turn. 

When  the  girls  work  by  themselves  —  without  direc- 
tions, that  is  —  they  invent  forms  just  as  other  children 
do,  imitating  things  about  them,  or  expressing  their  con- 
ceptions of  something  described  to  them.  The  whole  fur- 
niture of  the  gymnasium  was  copied  one  day  by  little 
Katie,  each  piece  being  announced  with  much  enthusiasm. 

We  have  great  fun  sometimes  telling  stories  and  mak- 
ing the  forms  suggested  by  them.  One  day  the  teacher 
gave  directions  for  a  form  which  when  completed  was 
hailed  with  delight  by  the  class  as  a  little  girl.  A  form 
followed  this  which  they  could  not  name  at  first  —  but 
when  I  told  them  the  little  girl's  name  was  Mary,  they 
recognized  the  "  lamb,"  with  great  glee. 

Left  free  to  invent  they  went  on  and  made  the  school- 
house,  the  teacher's  desk  and  chair,  and  the  other  furni- 
ture of  Mary's  school-room  in  great  variety.  One  made 
a  horseshoe  table  like  the  one  at  which  the  class  was 
sitting,  one  made  a  square  table  and  four  desks  for  the 
children,  and  one  made  an  oblong  table  ;  little  May,  who 
went  to  a  public  school  a  year  ago,  before  she  lost  her 
sight,  placed  her  children's  desks  far  apart,  with  a  broad 
aisle  between  them,  "  so  they  shouldn't  whisper."  Mary's 
home  and  her  lamb's  would  probably  have  been  made,  but 
there  was  no  more  time. 

Another  day  they  had  the  story  of  «'  The  Three  Bears." 


118 


I  gave  them  that  most  delightful  version  of  it,  for  which 
all  the  children  of  the  land  have  to  thank  Mrs.  Clara  Doty 
Bates  and  the  "  Wide  Awake." 

Silver  Locks  was  a  little  gii*l, 

Lovely  and  good ; 

She  strayed  out  one  day 

And  got  lost  in  the  wood, 

And  was  lonely  and  sad 

Till  she  came  where  there  stood 

The  house  that  belonged  to  the  bears. 


-Ti^r- 


'a>\<>J^^ 


AN    IIXrSTRATED    STORY. 


Of  course  we  made  the  house  with  a  door  that  would 
open  wide ;  and  the  big  chair  and  the  middle-sized  chair, 
and  the  wee  baby  bear's  chair,  which  had  to  be  broken 


119 

all   into    pieces;    and    the  big  bed  and  the  middle-sized 
bed,  and  the  wee  baby  bear's  bed. 

And  when  clay-day  came  we  made  the  three  bowls  for 
the  milk  —  the  father  bear's  bowl  with  a  big  ladle  in  it,  the 
mother  bear's  bowl  with  a  big  spoon,  and  the  baby  bear's 
with  a  wee  little  spoon. 

This  was  as  far  as  I  had  thought  of  making  forms  to 
accompany  the  story  ;  but  several  pairs  of  nimble  hands 
finished  the  bowls  and  made  one  or  another  of  the  bears, 
so  that  we  had  the  whole  family  complete  as  well  as  the 
house  and  furniture.  "Silver  Locks"  was  attempted, 
but  was  too  far  short  of  the  darling  ideal  to  be  shown  even 
to  me,  though  the  intention  and  failure  were  confided. 

Aside  from  what  is  gained  in  deftness,  care  and  preci- 
sion and  development  of  the  imagination,  there  are  many 
lessons  given  in  connection  with  the  cubes,  so  that  there 
is  more  than  mere  amusement  in  the  towers,  furniture, 
steamboats,  tents,  candles,  stairs,  etc.,  that  the  pupils 
make. 

To  copy  these  forms  with  their  square  tablets,  is  what 
the  girls  call  picture-making,  and  it  is  always  done  with 
the  liveliest  interest.  They  were  first  shown  that  one 
square  was  exactly  like  one  face  of  the  little  cube,  and  then 
lettins  their  fingers  trace  down  one  side  of  the  tower,  they 
saw  how  they  could  copy  it  on  their  cushions,  and  I  think 
no  children  enjoy  drawing  more  than  these  children  enjoy 
making  pictures  in  this  way.  They  get  puzzled  some- 
times, in  trying  to  observe  only  one  side  of  a  figure,  as 
their  fingers  are  apt  to  touch  several  sides,  or  even  the 
whole  at  once  ;  but  they  are  gradually  learning  the  mean- 
ing of  "  front  view,"  "  side  view,"  etc. 

It   is  certainly  incomprehensible    to  blind  people  that 


120 


things  can  be  represented  naturally  and  accurately  on  a 
surface  which  presents  only  smoothness  to  their  touch. 
But  the  square  tablets  give  tangible  surface-representa- 
tions of  the  solid  forms  made  with  the  cubes,  and  through 
this  it  is  hoped  that  the  children  may  gain  a  notion  of  real 
pictures. 

I  suppose  every  kindergarten  has  clay  on  Friday.  That 
delight  finishes  the  week  with  the  Perkins  Institute  kin- 
dergarten children  too.  There  is  a  joyous  bustle  as  they 
put  on  the  oversleeves  to  protect  their  dresses,  and  then 
they  listen  with  beaming  faces  to  the  soft  thuds  which  tell 
that  a  lump  of  clay  is  being  put  on  each  board,  and  try 
to  make  the  most  fanciful  things  with  as  much  faith  as 
when  they  undertake  every-day  forms.  Fortunately  for 
the  girls,  their  teacher  has  the  ready  tact  and  imagination 
needed  often  to  detect  the  ideal  in  the  rude  clay  forms. 
Once,  however,  even  she  was  at  a  loss.  Little  Polly,  dear 
child,  full  of  quaint  fancies,  had  made  a  puzzling  figure, 
which  looked  as  if  she  had  meant  it  for  a  tallow  candle 
which  had  melted  and  run  down  the  sides.  This  guess 
was  hazarded,  but  received  with  such  surprise  that  it  was 
hastily  withdrawn,  and  the  teacher  begged  for  enlighten- 
ment, whereupon  Polly  explained  with  much  enthusiasm 
that  it  was  a  "  May-pole  wreathed  with  flowers."  She 
could  even  tell  which  were  the  full-blown  ros^s  in  the 
garlands,  where  we  could  only  see  ragged  lumps  of  clay. 
One  of  the  other  girls  had  attempted  a  cream  pitcher,  but 
finding  it  a  clumsy  one.  she  put  a  bail  on  instead  of  a 
handle,  and  a  little  curved  piece  near  the  bottom  to  lift 
by,  and  there  it  stood,  an  unmistakable  coal  hod  ! 

Having  only  one  hour  a  day  for  kindergarten,  we  can- 
nut    use  all  its  varied  occupations  in  each  week,  so  we 


121 


choose  those  which  seem  most  useful  to  our  pupils  ;  but 
such  have  beeu  the  results  from  this  "  hour,"  that  Mr. 
Anagnos  feels  that  all  further  pupils  ought  to  be  received 
directly  into  thorough  kindergarten  modes  of  instruction. 
Its  importance  seems  a  matter  for  universal  consideration  ; 
and  we  here  commend  the  building  and  the  endowment 
of  kindergartens  for  the  blind  children  of  the  nation, 
alike  to  the  youth  of  the  United  States,  and  the  wealthy 
philanthropists  of  our  time  and  country.  Into  such  homes, 
planned  expressly  for  them,  the  little  blind  children  now 
living  in  comfortless  quarters  with  but  little  or  unwise  care 
could  be  gathered  at  the  true  kindergarten  age  ;  and  there 
with  games  and  exercises  prepared  and  adapted  expressly 
for  them  to  suit  their  needs,  they  would  be  guarded  from 
hurt  in  their  free  frolickiugs  ;  so  that  instead  of  dreading, 
they  would  enjoy  motion  and  be  tempted  into  activity, 
and  thus  gain  physical  development,  which  so  many  blind 
people  lack.  Such  children,  by  the  time  they  reached  the 
age  of  those  now  in  the  kindergarten  class,  would  have  the 
trained  fingers,  the  active  disciplined  mind  and  the  estab- 
lished character,  which  never  belong  to  the  blind  youth 
whose  early  years  are  spent  in  idleness  and  depression. 

The  Perkins  Institution  as  it  now  stands  cannot  furnish 
kindergarten  for  these  little  folks.  It  is  already  a  village 
in  itself,  with  the  main  buildings,  the  cottages,  school- 
houses,  gallery,  printing-house  and  workshop.  The  land 
is  too  crowded  with  buildings,  and  the  buildings  with  the 
older  pupils,  to  afford  room  for  any  new  department,  for 
any  such  kindergarten  and  primary  school  for  little  blind 
children  from  five  to  ten  years  of  age,  as  is  now  demanded  ; 
and  there  is  absolutely  no  national,  state  or  private  pro- 
vision made  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind  children  under 


122 


ten  years  of  age.  Mr.  Auagnos  has  issued  an  earnest  ap- 
peal for  the  foundation  and  endowment  of  snch  a  depart- 
ment in  his  last  annual  report.     From  it  we  gather  that 


C_^)T-ir|a_SiLln 


TEMPTED    INTO    ACTIVITY. 


the  tirst  thing  to  be  done  is  to  secure  about  five  acres  of 
land  in  a  pleasant,  healthy  location.  Making  allowance 
for  the  buildings  which  will  be  needed  sooner  or  later, 


123 


five  acres  would  be  none  too  much  for  the  out-of-door  life 
of  the  pupils,  their  gardens,  playgrounds  and  walks. 

Then  they  would  need  a  house  to  live  in  ;  for,  like  the 
pupils  at  the  institution,  they  wonld  only  go  to  their  own 
homes  in  the  vacations.  Schoolrooms,  too,  or  a  school- 
house,  would  be  demanded  immediately,  of  course,  and 
some  big  people  to  take  care  of  the  little  people  —  a 
matron  to  do  the  "mothering"  and  the  housekeeping, 
and  others  to  help  her,  and  two  or  three  or  four  or  more, 
kindergartnerin  —  the  best,  wisest,  and  most  loving  of 
them  that  could  be  found. 

Mr.  Anagnos  estimates  the  sum  needed  in  such  a  begin- 
ning to  be  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  for  the  land,  the 
house,  the  schoolhouse,  the  salaries,  for  one  year,  of  the 
people  who  would  have  the  care  and  teaching  of  the  chil- 
dren and  the  food  and  fuel  for  one  year,  with  other  plain 
necessities. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  kindergarten  must  be  a 
work  of  benevolence  ;  for  by  far  the  greater  number  of 
blind  children  are  among  the  very  poor.  Not  more  than 
eight  per  cent,  among  the  pupils  at  the  institution  could 
possibly  pay  their  own  expenses. 

But  surely  there  are  those  among  American  parents 
and  American  children  who  have  the  sentiment  of  Jean 
Paul,  "I  love  God  and  little  children,"  and  who  will  be 
touched  by  the  pitiable  condition  of  these  dear  sightless 
little  ones,  and  who  will  give  of  their  dollars  and  their 
pennies  to  found  for  them  a  true  kindergarten  home. 


124 


LIST   OF   CONTRIBUTORS 


To  THE  Kindergarten  Fund. 


Mrs.  E.  B.  Bigelow, 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Thorndike,   .         . 

Francis  Minot,  M.D 

Richard  Sullivan, 

Mrs.  B.  L.  Young, 

Mrs.  Mary  G.  Burt,        .         .        .  •      . 
Miss  Matilda  and  Miss  Rebecca  Goddard,   . 

Mrs.  Sarah  S.  Fay 

"  No  Name  Club,"  Brookline,  Mass.,    . 

S.  G.  Deblois, 

Mrs.  P.  C.  Brooks  (two  donations), 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Wolcott, 

Miss  Morton  (through  Mr.  Thompson  Baxter), 
Abbott  Lawrence  Lowell,     .... 
Mrs.  J.  B.  S.  Jackson, 


$50  00 

100  00 

100  00 

50  00 

100  00 

5  00 

50  00 

1,000  00 

30  00 

25  00 

600  00 

200  00 

500  00 

25  00 

20  00 


Further  contributions  and  subscriptions  are  most  earnestly  solicited, 
and  will  be  thankfully  received  by 


EDWARD  JACKSON,  Treasurer, 

No.  178  Devonshire  Street, 

Boston,  Mass.